In March, scores of Pashmina weavers took to the streets of Srinagar to protest against the devaluation of their industry at the hands of large-scale corporations. Machine manufacturing of Pashmina scarves has saturated the market, leaving artisans who have sustained the craft for centuries without hope of a secure future.
The recent boom in Pashmina sales has also led to a secondary industry, built around the buying and selling of forgeries, reducing the demand for authentic wool. The nomadic lifestyle of the goat herders makes for treacherous living, often at altitude and under the very real threat of encountering snow leopards. But the trade forms such an important part of the local economy that most would struggle to find alternative work.
