Ever wondered where does the most beautiful fibers of textile originate from? Acclaimed as the Queen of all textiles, Silk has always been linked to the finest and most luxurious. Today, we thought it might be interesting to share a little about the production that goes on behind the creation of the material that makes our exclusive silk scarves.
As most of you know, silk comes from the cocoon of the silk worm and requires a great deal of careful handling and processing. This precision is what makes it one of the most expensive fibers.
The culture of silkworms is called sericulture. A species known as the Bombyx mori (of Asian origin) is usually cultivated (for the fine quality of silk that it produces) and raised under a controlled condition of environment and nutrition. There are 4 stages in the life cycle of a silk worm. The egg, the silkworm, the pupa and lastly the moth.
The silkworm which feeds on mulberry leaves forms a covering around it by secreting a protein like substance through its head. This stage is called cocoon, the desirable stage for the silk producers. These cocoons are then delivered to the factory, called a filature, where the silk is unwound from the cocoons and collected into skeins (A tedious process that consists of sorting, softening, reeling and bailing, of which we shall not bore you with.)
An interesting fact to note, did you know that one ounce of silkworm eggs
contains 40,000 eggs (1,500 eggs per gram). These worms will eat 3,500
pounds (1500 kilograms) of mulberry leaves, and will spin cocoons which will
produce 18 pounds (8 kilograms) of silk thread. It takes 1700 to 2000 cocoons to
make one silk dress (or about 1,000 cocoons for a silk shirt).
Considering alll that work, now you know why you pay a premium for our silk collection ;)
But there you have it, a brief look into how these amazing little cocoons can form the softest and finest threads that we wear :)
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