Kashmiri shawl cloth has been produced since at least the mid-15th century, but the industry was boosted in the 16th century by patronage of the Mughal emperors of northern India. This cloth was traded throughout Asia, where it had a wide range of uses. In the late 18th century the cloth became popular in Europe, where it was worn mostly by women as a shoulder mantle, or ‘shawl’. European manufacturers, including those in Paisley, Scotland, then reproduced Kashmiri shawl patterns, often using cheaper fibres and new industrial technologies, which allowed them to sell their shawls at lower prices and take over some of Kashmir’s markets. At the same time, the British restructured trade in Asia, which made Kashmiri shawl manufacturers dependent on  European consumers. The Kashmiri economy was damaged when the European shawl fashion declined in the 1870s.