Kashmir's Kadri Launches His Own Cashmere Label via Net-a-Porter

Mujtaba Kadri, a fifth-generation cashmere weaver from Srinagar, is launching his own luxury brand, Kadri, through the online retailer Net-a-Porter. The label will sell scarves, blankets and other home and fashion accessories.

Kadri's family has produced cashmere for five generations. His atelier sits 50 metres from where his great-grandfather worked in Srinagar, the largest city in Kashmir. "I've been involved since I was a child," Kadri says. His spinners and weavers remain exclusively in Srinagar, mostly women working from home.

Hand spinning leaves a slightly uneven texture in the fibre, creating tiny air pockets once woven. That structure makes the fabric both very light and warm.

How fine is the cashmere?

Kadri studied at university in Mumbai but returned home immediately, with a broader horizon. "Our cashmere is the finest quality, which means its micron count is always below 14.5," he says, referring to the fibre-thickness measure that determines softness. "I knew it had potential in foreign markets."

That instinct proved right. Kadri went on to produce custom-ordered textiles for Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Marni. He later met Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and worked closely with their label, The Row, when the Olsens launched their home line.

Where are the designs made?

Designs are developed in a small Paris studio. The creative team includes colour specialist Maeva Elfassi. "Colour can be the element that cashmere brands get wrong," Kadri says.

What does a $1,000 shawl take?

The price reflects materials and labour. The raw fibre comes from a special breed of Changthangi goats, and production is slow. A shawl sells for $1,000 and goes through 12 processes handled by multiple artisans over 40 days.

"It really is slow fashion," Kadri says. For him, the point is larger than commerce. The brand sustains a community where weaving has always been a way of life — an atelier economy of home-based women artisans now plugged into Paris design and a global retail platform.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time," Kadri says of the launch. He now has the name, the client list and the platform to try.