Fashion police: Hanging on to the cruel Karakuli hat

Demand has decreased over the last decade as fewer choose to don the accessory.

PESHAWAR:

The popular Jinnah Cap most prized when made from the fur of an aborted Karakul lamb foetus is finally going out of style. Only two shops in Qissa Khwani Bazaar sell the animal-unfriendly accessory.

The Karakuli hat used to be a must-have for men across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa some 20 years ago.

Known as the Jinnah Cap, the Karakuli actually did not make its way from the leader’s closet; according to Stanley Wolpert’s Jinnah of Pakistan (1984), Jinnah made a last minute wardrobe decision before the All-India Muslim League conference in 1937 and borrowed Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan’s Karakuli. It is still sported by some prominent personalities, including Mufti Muneebur Rehman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Many Kashmiri leaders also consider the Karakuli to be a status symbol.

The Karakuli hat used to be a must-have for men across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa some 20 years ago. PHOTOS: RIAZ AHMAD/EXPRESS

However, the Karakuli hat business has dwindled so much in the past decade that only two shops in the city now sell the costly headgear. Saif Shah, a Mohmand Agency resident, owns one of these outlets.

“Until 1990, four of my neighbouring shops used to sell Karakuli hats but because of decreased demand, they have either switched to selling mobile phone SIMs or ordinary caps,” says Shah.

The hats were once widely worn by men in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. They were a must for grooms and business was therefore much more profitable then, reminisces Shah. However, clerics are the only ones who wear the hats these days, he adds and claims his shop is as old as Pakistan.

It was previously owned by one of Shah’s relatives who passed it on to him some 40 years ago. “I used to sell 35-40 Karakuli hats daily in those days.”

The proprietor also used to supply in bulk to markets in Rawalpindi, Swat, Abbottabad, Lahore and “even Karachi.”

He now only manages to sell two in a day. However, Shah says Karakuli’s price has increased manifold in the past decade so he isn’t too perturbed by the fall in demand. Depending on the type of fur the hat is made out of, it can fetch anything between Rs3,000 and Rs18,000.

Not animal friendly

The fur used to make the Karakuli is supplied from Mazar Sharif and Sheberghan in Afghanistan. The material is so durable that a Karakuli remains in shape for nearly three decades.

What sets Karakuli hats apart from other hats and caps is the fact that the skin of new-born Karakul lambs is used in their production. Sometimes, the pregnant sheep is slaughtered before it delivers and the lamb is taken out of its womb.

“The fur of these lambs is the most sought after and is considered the most precious,” says Shah.

As for newborn lambs, Shah says, “At the time of birth, lambs are taken away from the mother and slaughtered for their skin and soft fur.” According to various websites, the lambs must be under three days old when they are killed so the pellets maintain the desired colour as well as tensile coils.

Shah is not fazed by the fact that in most countries, obtaining lamb skin in such a fashion is considered barbaric. Many Western retail outlets refuse to put the cap on their racks.

“Karakuli hats are still a favourite, even if it’s in a small segment of the society,” says Shah.

There are four types of Karakul skins based on colour. The most rare and expensive is the camel-coloured skin followed by the golden.

A cap made from the camel-coloured skin can be priced as high as Rs15,000 to Rs18,000, while hats in other shades cost Rs3,000 to Rs8,000.

“My shop still supplies Karakulis to many parts of the country and is one of the few remaining businesses that import the accessory from Afghanistan,” he adds.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2014.

An earlier version of this story referred to the Jinnah Cap as Jinnah Hat. This has been changed.