Although human beings exhibit a number of individual and cultural variations, they have a natural tendency to care for each other. This characteristic, however, gets lost in transition due to a number of reasons, one of which is the monotony of everyday life, and we struggle to pin down the essence of love and togetherness. To keep this love and warmth in place we often have to weave a few relationships with utmost care. Jaipur Women blog in collaboration with Andraab, is proud to present the ‘Share a Care’ campaign.

Before we tell you, how we used one of the finest piece of Hand embroidered Pashmina shawls to bring together the adorable duet – a mother-in-law and a daughter-in law, let us first introduce you to The House of Handwoven Treasure – Andraab.

Founded in 1996 by the three Andraabi brothers – Muzaffar, Mubashir and Muzakir, Andraab is a premium textile and hand embroidery enterprise which swears by quality Cashmere. All their products are hand woven and embroidered with great attention to detail and quality. Unlike the machine-made replicas from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Nepal, Andraab takes pride in producing and reviving the authentic hand woven Pashmina from the Valley, where it traces its origin. While we’ve all heard of people selling and buying Pashmina silk and scarfs, Mubashir Andraabi feels that the term has lost its value along the way and is often ‘loosely used’.

“We want to educate people about Pashmina- the finest grade of Cashmere, only hand spun and hand woven in northern-most India. The kashmiri yarn is so fragile that it can’t be put on a powerloom”, he explains.

So what is so special at Andraab? We went to the city based store to see for ourselves. We found out that they use a combination of a number of fabric bases, including silk and wool, and of course, pure Pashmina, to produce elegant and beautifully woven bed spreads, wall hangings, shawls and stoles. If that’s not enough, you can also get custom designed wedding shawls.

With each piece being different from the other, their designs hold ‘human emotions in every stitch’ crafted with masterly finesse. Apart from the traditional Kani Jamawar and Jaali patterns, we were completely knocked over by the Seven different designs they have in store this Winter – traditional motifs on contemporary colour palettes.

Saada Rang

As the name suggests, it is monotone mostly with bright colors being used. The solid hue is achieved by weaving natural cashmere warp thread with dyed weft thread.

Rang Birangaa

This kind has closer weaved striped in multi-colored threads. Hand-woven, this artwork takes months to complete one shawl/scarf. Interestingly, each scarf made is unique in styling.

Khadi

Andraab has helped Kashmir’s tradition outlive in this type of shawl-work. Created with cashmere with wide stripes giving it a Khadi-cotton look, this hand-work work is for both ethnic and western look.

Bale Dar

It has a blend of Kashmir and Persian culture. This Andraabi-style remains a secret with its artisans. After the raw, undyed thread is spun from the wool of the Cashmere goat, and the base scarf is woven on handloom, it is sent to an embroiderer who works on it for next 4 months. And yes, each such shawl is then ‘signed’ by the creative embroiderer!

Kaaj Dar

Popping colors on neutral background is the mark of this hand-work. You can find colorful 3-petal intricate embroidery on the border of a natural Cashmere base. So if you are fond of florals, this style is the one for you!

Kund Dar

This look is rather contemporary and edgy. Andraab has a knack of placing bright hues of weaves on the natural Cashmere base, generally called as ‘Selvedge’ or edge.

Luane

If you like to keep it simple and keep it cool- Luane or the ‘line’ work is one for you. The Luane art playfully mixes white with bold colors to create this pattern on Cashmere.

The blending of traditional Kashmiri motifs and the 21^st century designs is what makes the label unique. Having collaborated with famous International artists such as Robert Kushner and Eric Keller, each design at Andraab is indeed a piece of art.

Well, we’re having a hard time getting over the Andraabi art-work. If you want to see for yourself, drop by at any of their stores in Jaipur, Udaipur, New Delhi, Srinagar, Mumbai, Bangalore or New York. Oh! and if you’re a soon-to-be-bride, don’t forget to get your wedding shawl designed.