Silk is often referred to as the queen of all fabrics and it has qualities that you don’t find elsewhere. For centuries it has been used by the rich and prosperous as a sign of status and wealth.
This wonderful fabric is made from threads, spun by the silk caterpillar. There are a few different kinds that produces these threads. The most well known type is the mulberry silkworm. This one feeds on mulberry leaves and can be kept in captivation. The production takes a lot of hard and careful work – leaves has to be picked from the mulberry trees and fed to the worms and later the fibers are being brought from the cocoon as a long fine thread which later is being woven into the most beautiful fabrics.
There are also fabrics known as ‘wild silks’. These have been produced by another kind of moths that can’t be held in captivation. This type usually comes from and the production is naturally smaller than the one from the mulberry silkworm. The quality and texture of the fabric also differs – the fibers that are made by the cultivated caterpillar is finer and is brought from the cocoon as one long thread while the one from the wild has to be spun like cotton.
This lovely material has a special type of brightness to it that you don’t find elsewhere. This is due to the fiber structure which is like a triangular prism. This split stack vertical makes the fabric reflect light from many angles and gives it that specific, wonderful and shimmering effect. Raw silk fabric is a bit different from other types though. What differs between raw silk and other kinds is that the sericin, that naturally protects the fabric, has not been removed. This gives the raw kind a stiffer and more dull appearance than other types of silk. It is beautiful in its own unique way.
It definitely is something that makes us feel wonderful and it brings about a luxurious feeling. Many have been the attempts to copy the qualities of this special type of material, but it has not yet been successful. That unique shimmer in combination with the pleasant sensations it gives our skin is only found in silk fabrics. Once you have dressed yourself in clothes made out of this fabric you will know what you are missing out on if you choose something less than it.
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