In Delhi’s winter flea markets, university campuses and online craft stores, the Kashmiri pheran has quietly emerged as a seasonal fashion staple. Retailers and designers across North India say demand for handmade pherans has risen sharply over the past few winters, with buyers drawn to their warmth, embroidery and cultural appeal.

This growing demand outside Kashmir is reshaping livelihoods back in the Valley, where women artisans are increasingly leading a revival of the centuries-old garment.

Afroza Bano, 35, begins her mornings in a small room in her home in North Kashmir’s Bandipora, where bundles of raw wool lie beside a handloom. A mother of two school-going children, she once depended entirely on her husband’s irregular daily wages.

Three winters ago, when expenses rose and work became scarce, she joined pheran-making.

Today, she earns between Rs 9,000 and Rs 12,000 a month stitching traditional Kashmiri winter gowns — income that now pays for her children’s education, winter ration and basic savings.

“Earlier, I waited for others to support the house. Now the pheran supports us,” she says.

Before joining pheran-making, Afroza had no personal income and relied entirely on her husband’s irregular daily wage work, which brought in Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 a month during winters, sometimes even less when work was scarce.

Of the artisans linked to the initiative run by Abdul Rouf Shah, around 40 women work at the centre, while another 20–25 operate home-based units across North Kashmir, stitching, embroidering and selling pheransthrough traders and WhatsApp orders.

Once on the brink of fading away amid modern fashion trends, the pheran is finding new life — both as a cultural symbol and a source of livelihood for dozens of families in North Kashmir.

From Persian roots to a Kashmiri identity

The pheran’s journey in Kashmir dates back to the 15th century, when Persian travellers introduced the garment to the Valley. Over time, Kashmiris adopted it not only for its elegance but also for its practicality in harsh winters.

The loose, gown-like structure allowed space to keep a kangri— a traditional earthen pot filled with burning charcoal — helping people stay warm long before modern heating systems became common.

Gradually, the pheran became deeply embedded in Kashmiri life. Worn by both men and women, rich and poor alike, it blurred social distinctions and emerged as a unifying cultural symbol.

“The pheran is one outfit that never separated people by class,” says Abdul Rouf Shah, a resident of Bandipora district. “Everyone wore the same garment, whether rich or poor. That is what made it special.”

Traditionally made of wool, velvet or cotton, the pheran followed a simple stitching pattern that remained largely unchanged for centuries. However, modernisation and Western clothing trends gradually pushed it out of everyday use, especially among the younger generation.

Reviving a fading craft in Bandipora

Concerned about the decline of this........

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