Two brothers Rajendra Man Singh Basnyat and Rabindra Man Singh Basnyat started a pashmina shop at their 243-year-old ancestral property called Paltan Ghar(an army house) located in Ason, Keltole one of the oldest and busiest marketplaces of Nepal. Their ancestors served closely in an army or a government job. Despite family culture to go into the army or any government jobs, The two brothers started their first business in 1982 knowing the value of pashmina and or cashmere.
Pashmina has been made in Nepal for thousands of years since the goat is native to the upper Himalayan region the nomads have been herding and farming pashmina goats for thousands of years. These goats are used for making pashmina, but many are used for the local food supply.
Since 2000 we have seen lots of ups and downs in this industry due to the high production of Chinese cashmere.
Though time has changed, the legacy continues.
Now second-generation Regendra M.S Basnyat who’ve studied this industry since childhood has a similar passion for this industry, but big plans to change how pashmina is being processed in today’s norm. Since Nepalese people have been going abroad, the majority of them settle for the minimum wage to provide for their families. Therefore Nepali Himalayan cashmere is slowly decreasing in production.
Their main aim is to make it so these individuals want to stay in Nepal so the economy naturally increases. This can only be done with proper wages that can be found abroad.