Cashmere originally came to be known to the larger world through the beautiful handmade shawls produced in Kashmir, India beginning in the fifteenth century. The fiber utilized to create the shawls was originally known as pashm. However, as the garments became popular in Europe in the early 1800s, the goat hair began to be referred to as Kashmir in reference to its origin, which eventually evolved into the modern spelling of the word. In the Industrial Age, several countries began producing shawls in the likeness of those found in Kashmir, but through mechanical means, making them much cheaper to produce. In the face of heavy competition, the industry in India suffered severely.