Watch on Channel One: Orenburg Shawls Are Amazingly Rare!

At the beginning of last month, we were approached by the film crew of "Fashionable Verdict", a programme that for 8 years has delighted Channel One viewers with striking makeovers and current fashion trends. For a festive episode of the talk show timed to Nadezhda Babkina's anniversary, they were looking for genuine Orenburg shawls – and we were happy to provide them.

On the fastest flight from the heart of Mother Russia, our team sent the best examples of the down-knitting craft that was born on Orenburg land more than two centuries ago. To show our craftswomen's art on a popular TV programme and to delight fans of our products, we put together openwork gossamer shawls and stoles, down shawls and wraps. And we eagerly awaited the spring episode, which aired at the height of "Russian Week" on "Fashionable Verdict".

An episode about Russian shawls

On 18 March we excitedly switched on our TVs – and were richly rewarded for our efforts. The festive episode was entirely devoted to the shawls, wraps and lace that different regions of the country are proud of. Vladimir Shishenin, director of the Museum of the History of the Russian Shawl, told amazing facts about folk crafts, showing the colourful ornaments of Pavlovsky Posad and Arkhangelsk shawls, the refinement of Vologda lace and the airy charm of Orenburg shawls.

Nadezhda Georgievna Babkina, presenter of "Fashionable Verdict" since 2009, clearly enjoyed trying on the best examples of Russian fashion and showing how shawls are traditionally worn in different regions of Russia. Fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev decided to make sure the Orenburg items were genuine and, in front of the programme's guests, easily pulled a down shawl through a ring.

Why Orenburg down cannot be replicated

Vladimir Shishenin told an interesting story about attempts to adopt the traditions of the Orenburg craft. He stressed that the highlight of local items is natural goat down with unique properties. It turns out that Orenburg goats were repeatedly bred in other regions of the country, but this never succeeded: within a year, the down of the relocated goats lost its famous qualities. Scientists explained this by the specifics of the climate, feeding and combing of the down, which have not yet been replicated.

A fashion show and a musical gift

A guest of the talk show, the singer Taisia Povaliy, spoke about her long-standing love of shawls and appraised the models' fashion show in current looks with Orenburg and Pavlovsky Posad shawls. One of the girls' shoulders was adorned with a bright sky-blue stole, stylishly fastened by the designers with a brooch.

The highlight of the episode was Taisia Povaliy's musical gift – the famous song "Orenburg Down Shawl". During the performance, Nadezhda Babkina draped a snow-white gossamer shawl over the shoulders of the People's Artist of Ukraine, touchingly complementing the singer's elegant look.

We thank the Channel One film crew for the honour of presenting our products on "Fashionable Verdict", for their attention to primordially Russian traditions and for telling viewers about the painstaking work of Orenburg craftswomen!

You will find all the items shown on the programme on the pages of our online shop.