THE BENEFITS OF SILK

Silk is popular for its finesses, luster, strength, and high abrasion resistance.

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RAW MATERIAL

Silk is a protein fiber produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori, which feeds on mulberry leaves.

THE FABRIC

The silkworm will begin spinning its silk cocoon by rotating its body. Each silkworm produces just one single strand of silk, which is held together by a type of natural gum called sericin. Once the silkworms have spun their cocoons, they will eventually lock themselves inside them, and then it’s time to extract the silk threads.

The cocoons are placed into boiling water to soften and dissolve the gum. Each thread is then carefully separated from the cocoon in individual long threads, wound on a reel. Some sericin may remain on the threads to protect the fibers during processing, but this is usually washed out with soap and boiling water.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Silk processing requires chemicals to soften the cocoon and to remove the natural glue,sericin, which is boiled with alkali,  a chemical compound. 

raw silk

Raw silk is the yarn freshly removed from the raw filament. No chemicals or treatments have been added, although the silk is sometimes soaked in a 1% hydrogen peroxide solution for several hours to refine the cream color.