CARING FOR YOUR PRECIOUS PRODUCTS

PASHMINA SCARVES

Our pashmina scarves are hand-woven from hand-spun yarn. Pashmina fibre is extremely fine and delicate, and requires gentle care and treatment. A few simple techniques will ensure that you enjoy your scarf for a long time.

WASHING

The care label on your Pascha Brunello pashmina scarf says to hand-wash in cold water only, and we really mean it! We recommend that you use a delicate, odourless organic hair shampoo to wash your scarf, rather than a traditional detergent. Detergents, no matter how delicate, organic or pure, will always have more chemicals than an organic shampoo. And, when you think of it, pashmina fibre is essentially goat hair, so shampoo is quite appropriate indeed! To wash, fill a clean large tub with 4 - 5 litres of cold water and mix in two tablespoons of shampoo. Ensure that the shampoo has completely dissolved, and froth the water lightly. Immerse the scarf into the water completely and gently massage it with your hands, ensuring that the shampoo has the opportunity to work its way into the fibres. Do not wring, stretch, or do anything that can damage the scarf's fibres. After massaging the scarf for 5 minutes or so, remove it from the water and gently squeeze the water out. Throw out the soapy water and fill with clean, cold water. Rinse out the shampoo from the scarf, repeating the process till you experience no soapiness when you hold the scarf. Again, no wringing, stretching, etc. in any of this! Once you've rinsed out the scarf, place it flat on a towel, and allow it to dry naturally. Please, do not iron the scarf, and do not hang it. Once the scarf has dried, you can wear it and be on your way! However, you could consider steaming the scarf once it's dry. Steaming the scarf will give it a fluffy feel and texture, and actually make it softer on your skin.

ONGOING CARE

Pashmina and cashmere scarves are prone to "pilling". Pilling is the formation of small balls or clumps of fibre on the surface of clothing. It is an unsightly phenomenon and can leave you disappointed in your purchase. However,  pilling is an inevitable side-effect of the use of natural fibres, especially when the fabric is woven in a loose weave. Pilling can affect scarves, sweaters, and basically any kind of fabric. It can occur in pashmina, cashmere, merino, alpaca, and pretty much any fabric woven or knitted from natural fibres. The good news is that while pilling is a definite annoyance, it reduces over time and eventually reduces to zero.  Most importantly, your scarf gets softer with wear, and the shedding of excess fibres via pilling.

To ameliorate the effects of pilling, we recommend that you gently brush your scarf on a regular basis using a brush made of fine, soft, natural hair.  This will ensure that your scarf will grow more supple to the touch over time, and present you with years of warmth and stylish comfort.

CASHMERE SCARVES

The care label on your Pascha Brunello cashmere scarf will say "Dry Clean Only". This is accurate and appropriate, as our cashmere scarves are hand-woven from machine-spun yarn, making them amenable to dry cleaning. However, dry cleaning inevitably involves chemicals and detergents that have an adverse impact on the environment as well as your pocket! So, despite the fact that we say that our cashmere scarves can be dry cleaned, we recommend that you apply the same techniques for caring and maintaining your cashmere scarf as the ones described above. 

MERINO SWEATERS

Merino wool is a much hardier fabric than pashmina or cashmere. Merino is shorn from sheep, and the fibre is thicker and coarser than pashmina or cashmere. Merino fibres can be mechanically spun into yarn, which in turn can be mechanically woven. As a result, merino wool sweaters are fairly robust, and can be dry cleaned. However, the same logic and technique that apply to pashmina care apply to merino as well, so feel free to get your hands wet, and do your part to save the environment by eschewing dry cleaning.