About

Mulberry silk is a natural protein fiber. The silkworms of the Bombyx mori moth are fed only with fresh mulberry leaves under the careful care of the farmers. This diet results in silk that has a milky white color and is rounder, finer, smoother and lighter. Its strands are very long and more refined than any other type of silk in the world. Mulberry silk fibers are also known to be extremely strong. It's produced by silkworm during cocoon formation. Mulberry silk considered the highest quality of all silk. 

 

History 

Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of China, based in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces near Shanghai and Chengdu in Sichuan Province, with a history of more than 5,000 years. Traditionally an important role for women in the economy of rural regions, silk-making encompasses planting mulberry, raising silkworms, unreeling silk, making thread, and designing and weaving fabric. It has been handed down within families and through apprenticeship, with techniques often spreading within local groups. The life cycle of the silkworm was seen as representing the life, death, and rebirth of human beings. In the ponds that dot the villages, silkworm waste is fed to fishes, while mud from the ponds fertilizes the mulberry trees, and the leaves in turn feed the silkworms. Near the beginning of the lunar year, silkworm farmers invite artisans into their homes to perform the story of the Goddess of the Silkworm, to ward off evil and ensure a bountiful harvest. Every April, female silkworm farmers adorn themselves with colourful flowers made of silk or paper and make harvest offerings as part of the Silkworm Flower festival. Silk touches the lives of rural Chinese in more material ways, too, in the form of the silk clothes, quilts/duvet/comforter, umbrellas, fans and flowers that punctuate everyday life.

In 2009, sericulture and silk craftsmanship joined the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

 

Characteristics

Highly absorbing, quick-drying, robust, shiny. It naturally fends off any allergy microbe or odor-causing bacteria. Silk is the strongest natural fiber of all and is even comparable to steel yarns in elastic strength. Silk has natural temperature-regulating characteristics which means that the fabric feels warm in the winter and cool in the summer.