Orenburg Down Items

Orenburg down shawls are known not only in our country but in many other countries of the world. Back in the 18th century, Orenburg shawls were valued so highly that their price exceeded even that of cashmere ones. A little later, an English factory began producing down shawls of its own, but labelled them "Imitation of Orenburg". To this day, down items of the Orenburg region bring warmth and delight the eye.

Demand for down items made in Orenburg was so high that fakes were found everywhere. For Orenburg shawls, this was confirmation of their unrivalled quality. The thing is that the local down factory could not keep up with supplying branded products even to its own region, let alone to other countries.

The secret of such popularity lay in the material itself, from which knitted shawls, gossamer shawls, stoles and warm shawls are still made today. Everyone knows the unique properties of goat down, from which particularly soft-to-the-touch and visually delicate accessories are made. The French attempts to raise the goats in their own conditions produced no results, because only a harsh climate creates the conditions for down that is both soft and strong at the same time.

Classification of Orenburg down items

• The shawl is distinguished by its strength and ability to keep you warm even in the coldest weather. A dense down shawl is usually called a warm shawl (shal).
• The gossamer shawl has a more complex pattern than a shawl. Its fabric is unusually fine and openwork. Higher-quality down yarn is used to knit Orenburg gossamer shawls, so items in this group cost more.
• The stole is very similar to the gossamer shawl in knitting method and differs in its rectangular shape. It is an openwork scarf that, depending on its size, can be worn on the head or on the shoulders.

The stole and the gossamer shawl are usually worn for special occasions as an elegant addition to an outfit. For all their weightlessness, they are also able to keep you warm well.

How masterpieces are created

One down masterpiece takes from two to four weeks to create, depending on the size and complexity of the pattern, in the hands of an experienced craftswoman. Shawls knitted by hand rather than by machine are of particular value. Genuine, well-made handmade items are hard to tell apart at first glance, but after a while a fake will certainly reveal itself. You will notice it by the deformation of the pattern and fabric, down coming out and uneven dyeing.

The fame of down shawls and gossamer shawls also lies in the features of their patterns. As early as the 18th century, unusual ornaments were being created for knitted items. Such painstaking work took a lot of effort, but the craftswomen did not stop their creative search, coming up with ever new patterns of airy loops.