There is a long history of textiles and textile industry in Russia. Amongst the most famous enterprises is the two hundred year old, Pavlovsky Posad, the manufacturer of silk and wool scarves, shawls and pashminas. The fashionable wearing of a silk and wool shawl came to Russia from the Middle East at the beginning of 19c. Shawls became a smart supplement to a female costume as well as a part of interior décor. The shawls and scarves were among family treasures handed down from generation to generation.
They first attracted the attention of the Russian upper classes as they were light, warm and glamorous. In addition, Napoleon brought a wool shawl to his beloved Josephine as a gift, and all ladies belonging to the Russian court immediately started copying her as an etalon of Parisian fashion.
By the middle of 19c woven shawls were replaced by printed patterns which made them more affordable for common people. A number of shawl factories opened in and around Moscow, and one of them was the famous Pavlovsky Posad factory which is still manufacturing to the same high quality today.
Pavlovsky Posad is named after the town where it is situated, was established in 1795 and had become the leading exponent in the industry by the end of 19c. Today, it is the only enterprise of its kind in Russia - it has the same respect as Russian Matrioshka and is a Russian national symbol.
Raw materials were distributed amongst village weavers who worked from home using their own looms and then plain wool or silk scarves were manually printed at the factory. The success of the Pavlovsky Posad has brought significant wealth to the local population. The factory has developed its own patented style and during the past 150 years has won all sorts of national and international awards.
The original style of the Pavlovsky Posad wool shawl was developed in ochre-red shades and had distinguishable floral or Oriental paisley pattern. The accents were traditionally made on corners where artists would place large and more complex ornaments. Following religious trends lots of scarfs would have a cruciform in the middle. They were traditionally square, with the fringe around perimeter.
In the 1860s, Pavlovsky Posad women’s scarves and pashminas were regularly supplied to the Grand Duchess of Russia. They also became widely available across the huge territory of the Russian Empire.
Women wore Pavlovsky Posad scarves wraps as a necessary detail of their costume – as a head scarf or neck scarf or as a shawl wrap. Very often scarves and pashminas were used as a fabric to create a skirt or a jacket. They were also often used as costume detail for a Russian priest.
