Silk is one of the world’s
quintessential luxury fibers. Noted for its beautiful sheen and smooth texture,
it is no wonder that silk was one of the most sought after fibers throughout
time. Silk is distinguished as one of the oldest natural protein fibers. From
thousands of years ago to present day, silk is still made the same way- from a
silkworm. Through its creation, uses, and history, silk has remained a popular
fiber that never goes out of style.
Even with today’s technological
advances, making silk is still extremely tedious process. Silk originated in
China, being harvested and woven from the cocoons of moths. An incredibly
unglamorous procedure, the process begins with bombyx mori (silkworm) larvae
eating mulberry leaves, which makes the silk white and easy to dye. Weeks
later, they then begin to wrap themselves in a cocoon with silk they produce.
After the cocoons have formed, they are put into boiling water so the larvae
die. People can then begin to unravel the cocoon and extract the silk. Unfortunately,
each cocoon only produces a few grams of silk (Yates, 2002). The real art of
silk-making then comes in its refinement, where the fibers may be separated
into several strands, dyed, and then woven together by skilled artisans (Frank,
2006). The amount of time, skill, and resources needed to produce silk make it
all the more valuable and sought after.
There are many different varieties of
silk: raw silk, spun silk, wild silk, Noil, and Doupioni silk. Raw silk is silk
that has not had the gum (the substance that stiffens the cocoon) boiled off of
it. Spun silk is spun from unusable
cocoon scraps that can’t be reeled. Silk that is harvested after the moth has
broken out of the cocoon is called wild silk, because the filaments are broken.
Noil is a type of spun silk made from silk waste, known for its “nubby”
texture. Lastly, Doupioni silk is created from the double fibers produced when
two worms are in one cocoon (Yates, 2002).
Innovations are being made, however, in
the type of worms and caterpillars that are used to produce the silk. For
example, it has been recently discovered that a species of lacewing can make
silk, almost three times as strong as common silkworms. That is because it has
two fibrous proteins which give it strength and elasticity (Williams, 2009).
Silk has found many uses over the centuries. The most common uses of silk are
usually in fashion and bedding (Cue images of Fabio lying in silk sheets on a
romance novel cover), but silk has many other uses as well. Its fibers have
found themselves woven into medicine, bullet-proof vests, and industrial
applications because of its durability. It was even used for parachutes before
the invention of nylon (Williams, 2009).
A question that many ask is, “How was
silk discovered?” After all, it is a little strange to see a substance emitted
out of a silk worm and come to the conclusion that it would make wonderful
fabric. Myths say that the empress Leizu of China had the idea to weave silk
after a cocoon fell into her tea cup and began to unravel. She then studied the
art of cultivating silk worms and started a trend (Fan, 2003). There is no
evidence to prove this, however. All archaeologists can tell us is that first
evidence of silk was found in Xia County, Shanxi around 4000 to 3000 BCE, and
that silk exportation became a major venture for China (Fan, 2003).
Thousands of years later, silk is still
as treasured today as it was then. It is a beautiful fiber that can still evoke
a sense of luxury. The next time a silk shirt is on sale, consider, the
labor-intensive process used to make it. Since silk is timeless anyways, it
will be worth every penny.
References
Fan,
Lizhu (2003). The Cult of the Silkworm Mother as a Core of a Local Community
Religion
in a North China
Village: Field Study in Zhiwuying, Baoding, Hebei. The China Quarterly No. 174.
Frank,
Nelson (2006). Factory-raised silkworms eat well, die young to produce
garments,
bedding.
Santa Barbara News-Press. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143795133.html
Williams, Brain (2009). Stalking
the secret of silk- Lacewing gives strength to the smoothest of
fibres.
The Brisbane Courier Mail.
Yates,
Marypaul (2002). Fabrics: A Guide For
Interior Designers and Architects. New York,
NY: Norton & Company Inc.
