Shawls

Shop shawls online at Classic Fabrics

Classic Fabrics offers a versatile, refined and constantly changing selection of shawls made from various high-quality materials such as fine wool, soft linen and luxurious silk. The fabrics from which our shawls are made are carefully selected based on quality, weave and colour and are handcrafted into a beautiful shawl. We only select the best materials for the production of our shawls and therefore you are guaranteed a soft, luxurious shawl that is long-lasting and has a low wear value.

History of the shawl

Throughout the centuries, shawls have been used by many different peoples. From Western Europe to Persia and even in Asia, every nation had its own type of shawl. Shawls were made of many types of natural materials and were woven in a multitude of patterns. Not only in a simple plain weave, but also in a twill, herringbone, diamond twill and satin weave. The main material used to make a shawl was finely woven wool, but there are also finds of shawls made of linen, silk and even Kashmir. Shawls were worn by people from almost every social class. Rich or poor, the shawl was anything but uncommon in the everyday life. This is mainly because the shawl is actually a very simple garment that you could make without too much effort. However, one could easily tell from the material, weave and colour in which social class the person was. Wealthier people tended to wear very finely woven shawls made of high quality materials, such as silk, and dyed with dyes that were only affordable for the higher social class. Making such a luxurious scarf took a lot of time and raw materials, and therefore the price of a luxurious shawl was often much higher than for example a simple woollen or linen shawl in an earthy colour.

Usage of shawls

A shawl is not only decorative but also has a number of practical advantages. Shawls have been used for centuries as protection against the sun, but also to keep you warm in the winter. Most body heat is lost through the neck, so a nice warm shawl is very useful. Furthermore, a shawl is also very useful as windscreen, to prevent cold wind from entering between your body and your clothes. A shawl can be worn around the neck, but also on the head. Mainly in India, the shawl is used as a luxurious headgear as sun protection. Throughout the centuries, however, one sees that shawls were also worn partly or entirely on or over the head for religious reasons, such as by Muslims or Christians.

Plant dyed shawls

Our scarves are hand dyed using only the best natural materials. This results in a beautiful collection of scarves in many different vibrant colours. We do this in an entirely traditional way with dyes that come directly from nature and, of course, without the addition of chemicals or synthetic mordants. We use dyes such as indigo, madder, walnut shells and rhubarb root. In addition, our entire dyeing process is circular from start to finish and fully ecologically responsible. Not only from a historical point of view, but also to keep our CO2 footprint as low as possible.

Questions about our shawls?

We understand that you might have some questions about our Shawls. If you have questions about the stock or the delivery time of a product, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you. But you can also contact our customer service if you want some advice before you buy our Shawls. Either way, we are here to help. You can reach us via e-mail, our Live Chat or by phone. And of course you’re always welcome to come and have a look around in our shop (on weekdays). We do ask you to make an appointment in advance via our customer service.