Cashmere Sourcing and Development for Fashion Brands
You have a design, a season and a budget. What you need from a cashmere supplier is a straight answer on whether it can be made, at what minimum, to what specification, and by when. This page gives you those answers before you send the first email.
What we make for brands
Pashmina Studio is a Nepal-based cashmere specialist working under Buddha Handicrafts Industry, second generation, with roots going back to 1982. We are not a factory: we develop each product to a brand’s own specification, place it with the right partner workshop or factory in the Kathmandu valley, and manage sampling, quality checks and export on your behalf.
| Category | What is possible | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Woven stoles, shawls, scarves | Plain, twill, herringbone, dobby, jacquard, ikat, printed, embroidered. Loom widths 20–250 cm. | 50 pieces per style and colour (standard) |
| Knitwear | Hand-flat and machine knitting, gauge 1.5 to 14. Sweaters, cardigans, knitted stoles, hats, gloves, socks. | 50 pieces per style and colour (standard) |
| Blankets and throws | Woven, fringed or hemmed, reversible and two-tone constructions. | Confirmed per construction at quotation |
| Blends | Cashmere and silk, cashmere and wool, yak, plant-based fibres. | Confirmed per construction at quotation |
If a construction is outside what we can do well, we will say so rather than take the order and disappoint you at shipment. That is a deliberate choice, and it is the single most useful thing a smaller supplier can offer.
Where brands usually get stuck
| The problem | How it is handled here |
|---|---|
| “The minimum is 500 pieces and I need 60.” | Our standard minimum is 50 pieces per style and colour. A first collection of three styles in two colours is 300 pieces: a real order, not a favour. Planning fewer? Tell us the project and we review it individually. |
| “I can’t commit to bulk without seeing the quality.” | Sampling is charged at twice the unit cost, paid in advance, and is deductible from the bulk order under the agreed terms. You see and approve the real thing before any bulk commitment. |
| “My Pantone reference came back wrong.” | Colour is approved on a physical lab dip against your reference before bulk dyeing. Nothing goes into the dye house on a screen colour. |
| “The supplier stopped replying halfway through.” | You deal with the same person from enquiry to dispatch, who chases the workshop for you. There is no account manager layer and no handover. |
| “I don’t know how to write a cashmere spec.” | Send a reference garment, a sketch, or a photograph. We will write the technical sheet and send it back for your approval. |
From first email to delivered goods
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief | You send designs, references or a reference garment. We confirm feasibility, construction, yarn and minimum. | 2–5 days |
| 2. Reference samples | Existing pieces from our range, so you can judge handle, weight and finish before committing to development. | Ready stock, shipping time only |
| 3. Development sample | Your design, made to your specification. Charged at 2× unit cost, payable 100% in advance, and deductible from the bulk order under the agreed terms. | 30–45 days |
| 4. Lab dips and corrections | Colour approved physically. Fit, weight or construction corrections made and re-sampled if needed. | Varies with rounds |
| 5. Sealed sample | You sign off one piece. That piece is the production standard and the reference for any dispute. | — |
| 6. Bulk production | 50% advance confirms the order. Yarn is sourced, dyed, knitted or woven, finished and mended. | 45–60 working days |
| 7. Inspection and dispatch | Goods checked against the sealed sample. Balance 50% settled before dispatch, ex-works or FOB Kathmandu. | — |
What to send us with your first enquiry
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Product type and rough dimensions | Determines loom or machine, and therefore feasibility |
| Target composition | 100% cashmere, cashmere/silk, cashmere/wool — changes handle, drape and cost base |
| Target weight or GSM | The single biggest driver of perceived quality and of price |
| Colours and references | Pantone TCX where possible; a physical swatch is better than any code |
| Quantity per style, colour and size | Tells us immediately whether the order is workable |
| Delivery date needed | Determines whether development is realistic or whether you should start from an existing construction |
| Labelling and packing requirements | Woven labels, care labels, hang tags, polybags, cartons, barcodes |
You do not need all of it to start a conversation. Product type, rough quantity and a delivery date are enough for a useful first reply.
Private label and your own brand identity
Every piece can carry your own woven label, care label, hang tag and packaging. We do not put our name on goods made for a brand. If you are building a label rather than buying finished stock, the private label page covers labelling, packaging and collection planning in detail.
Quality, honestly stated
Cashmere quality is decided by fibre micron and length, by yarn construction, by knitting or weaving density, and by finishing. A page of adjectives tells you nothing. The quality and specifications page sets out what to measure and how to compare two quotes that look identical on paper.
On certification: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GOTS, RWS, SFA and ISO 9001 certificates exist within our supply chain and are held by the spinners and processors we buy from. They are not certificates held by Pashmina Studio. We will send you the actual certificate for a specific yarn when you ask, and we will tell you when a certificate does not exist for a given lot. That distinction matters if you make claims to your own customers.
Working standards
| Term | Standard practice |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | 50 pieces per style and colour as standard. The exact minimum can depend on product, yarn, construction and customisation, and is confirmed in writing at quotation. Smaller projects are reviewed individually; acceptance is not guaranteed. |
| Sampling charge | 2× unit cost, payable 100% in advance; deductible from the bulk order under the agreed terms |
| Payment | 50% advance on order confirmation, 50% before dispatch |
| Pricing basis | Ex-works or FOB Kathmandu; freight, duties and taxes to consignee |
| Production time | 45–60 working days from confirmed order and approved sample |
| Rejection tolerance | Up to 5% on a bulk shipment |
Further reading
- Cashmere buyer guide — the nine decisions to make before you order
- Sampling — what a sample proves, what it does not, and the five mistakes that cost brands a season
- Private label cashmere — launching a collection without over-ordering
- Quality and specifications — micron, GSM, ply, gauge, and how to compare quotes
- How cashmere is made in Nepal — yarn to finished piece
- Sourcing FAQ — twenty questions buyers actually ask
Tell us what you are trying to make
Send the design, the reference, or just the idea and a quantity. You will get a straight answer on feasibility, minimum and timing — from someone who knows which workshop should make it.