As many of you will know York Scarves came about not through planning but through evolution. From a backpack full of scarves and shawls we grew our business organically at the local market. You can read about how we started here in more detail. Since the inception of our wholesale scarf business we have tried many avenues to try and promote ourselves, not all fruitful, but we are moving forward. I am sure some of you will go to the many trade fairs around the country, and in fact a few years ago we were exhibiting at 5 or 6 shows each year. However the hit and miss nature of these events, along with the astronomical expense, forced us to look for a better return on our investment.

If you go back a couple of decades hardly anyone in the west had heard of “Pashmina”. These days it has become a generic term for any large scarf, stole or shawl. In reality Pashmina is very fine wool which comes from the underside of the belly and neck of the Capra Hircus goat which is native to high altitudes in the Himalayan range, generally living above 4500 mts. Because the climate is so cold these animals have developed incredibly fine woollen undercoats to help keep them warm. It is usually about 12 – 14 microns thick and almost unbelievably soft to the touch. They are not sheared as a sheep would be but the yarn is either collected naturally as it malts of or is collected by gentle brushing. Each animal can yield 3 – 6 ounces of yarn twice a year. The yarn of fine pashmina is traditionally spun by hand and is used in an un-dyed form with its natural colour being cream through to a grey/brown. Traditionally in Himalayan communities men would were very long stoles and shawls made from the coarser “guard hairs” of the goat. These being the outer hairs that protect the soft fine hairs underneath.

A scarf is in essence a piece of fabric that is worn around the neck or head, generally for warmth, or protection from the sun. Historically they were also worn around the waist for warmth. Apart from the practical uses of a scarf they were also worn for fashion and religious reasons.

If you have read the "how we started" section of our website you will know the story. It all started from 50 stoles in a back pack and a £1.20 bus fare to the local market in the winter of 2004. I did'nt know what would happen, it was all an experiment, an adventure. I used to turn up at the market with a suitcase and a backpack and just trust to hope. Evidently my trust was well placed. Over the years things snowballed and now we have about 70,000 scarves in stock at the height of the season, or about 700 suitcases!