Charcoal Wool Kashmiri Crewel Poncho

Intricate Wool Kashmiri Crewel Poncho for women, an heirloom piece reimagined here in bold magenta and burgundy leaf-like forms embroidered across a deep espresso wool base. The wide-cut body offers a relaxed silhouette, closing at the front with a single button, while dropped shoulders and full-length sleeves lead into patch pockets featuring the artisan's own initials in Urdu or English. Falling to just below the knee with a curved hem, the outer is crafted from Himalayan desi sheep and yak wool, fully lined in a soft silk-cotton blend for a weight perfectly suited to colder days. A striking pick among wool jackets for women, this coat is a genuine addition to organic women's clothing rooted in real craft and history.

Story Behind the Textile

Master craftsmen in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, take 150 hours to embroider by hand the roughly 250,000 stitches on each of these coats. Known as crewel work, this technique is a type of free-running embroidery crafted from tight, continuous lines of chain stitch made with a crewel needle.

Although crewel work has been historically crafted around the world - from Mongolia to Britain - it is now most commonly associated with Kashmir. Known locally as jalakdozi, Kashmir has been famous for its exquisite crewel work since the 17th century, when it was a major cottage industry creating cloth for interiors for the European market.

Traditionally, Kashmiri crewel work comprises floral motifs and patterns and is used for furnishings and interiors. We've reimagined the traditional motifs and patterns in a contemporary design, which has been exquisitely executed by our Kashmiri artisans. Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.