The Pashmina Lifestyle

Well, if you don't regularly go to festivals, then you may not know exactly what a pashmina is. To many outsiders, a pashmina is just some random scarf that hippies drape around their necks for no purpose, but to a festival trained eye it is a comfortable trendy fashion statement. A pashmina can be formally defined as a fabric or garment made from cashmere and pashm, especially a shawl, wrap, or scarf. The material is typically created from goat's wool and literally translates into English as "soft gold." The scarfs in the festival world serve many purposes from as simple as a fashion statement, to a sun protect-ant, to a comfortable garment to keep warm and touch. While there are many other things trending the festival world recently such as: monicals, wire wraps, pins, grassroot hats, etc... the pashmina is by far the most trendy or "heady" of them all. Walking around the festival people are always looking and comparing their items to others items complimenting them and asking where they purchased this form of art. Beyond a fashion statement, the pashmina serves a few other purposes. One of those being a shield from the sun. During the 9-10 hour duration that the gates are open at the festival, there are often few areas to protect yourself from the sun and catch some shade. The pashmina can be draped over ones head far enough to provide plentiful shade while not limiting ones view in front of them. This aspect of the pashmina can be critical when protecting ones' self from the elements during days that are 90+ degrees out with the sun beating down. Lastly, with the inability to properly clean yourself for four days at any festival, the pashmina allows its users to have a comfortable garment to wear that does not irritate the skin and is very light weight to reduce sweating.