The motif flourished in India during the Mughal influence, particularly on Kashmiri shawls.
Soon, the demand outgrew the handmade craft.
Pashminas became increasingly popular across Britain and Europe but handwoven pashmina was slow and expensive to produce.
Then Scotland came into picture. The town of Paisley became a major centre for reproducing these shawls, machine-made versions –faster and more affordable.
The town gave the motif its name.
The Kashmiri boteh, reproduced in Paisley, became known in the West as paisley.
A motif travelled from Persia to Kashmir, then to Scotland –
and somewhere along the way, a place became its name.