Srinagar’s Pashwrap taking pashmina shawls and scarves to the world with Amazon Global Selling

Jammu Tawi: Aaqib Bhat's Pashwrap is a ‘born on Amazon' success story rooted in 60+ years of Kashmiri craftsmanship. The three-year-old startup exports luxury products made from the world's finest cashmere wool. Pashwrap represents generations of craftsmanship and nurtures the art of creating luxurious pieces by weaving the delicate threads of pashmina wool. Amazon Global Selling in its latest campaign ‘India se Duniya Tak' features Aaqib Bhat, Founder, Pashwrap showcasing their unique products, the traditional craftsmanship and how they are leveraging e-commerce to reach global audience. Launched in India in 2015, Amazon Global Selling helps Indian businesses of all sizes export their products through Amazon's international marketplaces. The program has significantly lowered barriers for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their export operations.

According to Bhupen Wakankar, Director Global Trade at Amazon India, “Launched nearly a decade ago, Amazon Global Selling empowers Indian entrepreneurs to build thriving export businesses through e-commerce. It's remarkable to see thousands of these businesses not only establishing globally recognized brands but also introducing Indian products to international customers. We're making significant investments in technology to streamline the export process, making it more accessible for businesses of all sizes. Our goal is ambitious yet clear: facilitating $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports from India by 2025.”

For a family from Srinagar, introducing the world to a piece of their heritage is a dream come true. Before 2020, this dream seemed distant, as their flourishing business was confined to India. As the world slowed down in 2020 due to Covid and Aaqib was back from his job in Dubai to work remotely, he witnessed how the family business continued to flourish despite all the challenges it faced. He was inspired and decided to stay back in Kashmir after the pandemic ended and take the entrepreneurial plunge. Amazon emerged as a reliable and globally established partner, making it possible for a homegrown legacy brand like Pashwrap to reach new heights. While their business spans decades, the excitement experienced by Aaqib upon receiving the first global order from Amazon marked a significant step in their e-commerce export journey.

“I will never forget the feeling of receiving our first order. I remember it as clear as day, I was asleep because of the time difference in the US. It was September 2021 and Amazon had an ongoing sale for which we started off with some coupons as offers. When I woke up in the morning, I saw that we made around $300-400 of sale. It was a great moment—I was so happy that I couldn't eat for two hours. It wasn't about the money, it was more about seeing an idea that we believed in so much finally come to life,” shares Aaqib.

However, there was a lingering doubt about whether their unique form of art would be appreciated by a global audience. These doubts were soon laid to rest as orders started pouring in from different markets across the world.

While talking about the struggling days, Aaquib says, “When we first started, no one believed we could do it. There were some genuine reservations about how we would be able to differentiate our product. For instance, there are different materials sold across the globe on various platforms described as ‘cashmere'. So, even a product which is worth ₹300 was being sold as cashmere for ₹800. Whereas our cashmere product is worth more than ₹10-12,000 But I had faith and so did my father and grandfather. I wanted something from our part of the world to be ‘in fashion'. We have been producing beautiful pashmina since ages, some of the world's finest at that. Sure, there are brands in the US who sell it, but the value and quality that Kashmiri handmade products deliver is unmatched.”

As they started delivering to many countries, months of hard work by their artisans proved fruitful with 5-star reviews and growing recommendations for their brand on Amazon.

“Our speciality lies in handcrafted luxury goods, each adorned with intricate traditional Kashmiri embroidery. Creating a single piece can span months, sometimes even a full year. Amazon brings that trust factor to the table with its easy return policy. We have now delivered to almost 3,000 customers via Amazon Global Selling. Our average sales per day is $500-600 but during sale events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday we have seen our numbers jump 5-10x. Through Amazon, we now export to the US, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Next year, we want to also try entering the European market,”quips Aaqib.