Reading Cloth: Silk

Silk is strong, fine and lustrous fiber that was said to have originated in china. There are many myths that are associated with the discovery of silk one of them being about the Chinese princess into whose cup of tea a silk worm cocoon accidently fell. The fiber separated from the cocoon and there was a soft, shine fiber that the Chinese then began cultivating.  For the longest time China kept its production of silk quite a secret and was the only producer, however as time passed, with the opening of trading routes it began to spread to Japan, Western Europe, Gujarat and Persia. This resulted in the Chinese luxury silk market as it wasn’t the only producer anymore. However after the advent of the jacquard loom, the industrial revolution and the invention of synthetics, China once again regained its position in the market for selling fine, natural silk.

Silk came to different parts of India starting the second century. There are many stories. Its said that a Chinese princess after her marriage carried silk to the country she was married into and they began cultivating it there from where it spread into India. Also a tribe from Persia (the Parsis) is said to have migrated to India brining in the traditions of cultivating and weaving silk. The emperor Akbar is said to have given royal patronage to the weaving of silk during his time. The weavers from Gujarat had been brought to the weaving centers in Lahore, Agra and Fatehpursikri. This resulted in different kinds of weavers to work together and therefore exchange of creative techniques, which was good for the silk industry in India.

It is one of the oldest textiles man discovered and since then has been reinventing it. Its inherent properties already make silk an expensive and luxurious cloth that back in the day was reserved for the royals and the wealthy. But as time passed and production and duplication became both easy and rampant silk has become one of the most commonly used cloth, not only as fabric to wear, but also in medicine, industry etc.

When I look at the cloth I see luxury and occasion. Its beautiful to look at and also feels soft. Today the market for silk is large as is the market of synthetic silk which shows that the demand for the material was always high and it failed to remain a possession of the wealthy. Also there have been remarkable developments in the area where they have been able to make blends that are much better than the original sometimes. The fact that china kept its production of silk secret for the longest time just shows how much it was valued and still is.