Know More About Silk, Silk Garments, Silk Garments India, Silk Arena, Viztech

Silk has been around for a long time, the silk has been first developed in ancient china. Silk has soon become a sign of status and social standing, it spread throughout Asia and became a commodity that everyone wanted, silk has been considered something prestigious right from the start. When the commercial trade between different cultures and civilizations started to grow the silk was a leading trade.

In the heyday of the silk trade it has expanded to most places on earth, at least places that had humans living in them, it seemed that the human affection to silk is natural, its texture and looks bridged any culture and society, everyone wanted silk and regarded people that used silk as part of a social elite. By 1100 BC silk had arrived to the Middle East, Europe and Africa and the silk trade has formed the famous Silk Road to use as its main route between the cultures and continents.

Many people do not know that there is another kind of silk that has not been as famous as the classic silk, this is the wild silk that is naturally lesser in production as in popularity in the world because of the simple fact that it can not be produced in mass like the regular silk. This production of the wild silk has been also going on for centuries, in many parts of the world.

Silk is produced from silkworms, these creators have glands that produce the thread by making a liquid that is forced through an opening, the liquid hardens and produces the thread that is later possessed into silk. The reproduction of the silkworms is when the female produces a couple of hundred eggs and dies almost immediately, the male also dies soon after that. The eggs are examined to separate the diseased ones from the health ones, and the silkworms are fed enormous amount of food to make them grow and with the right food provided to increase the chances of them producing the highest kind of silk possible.

Silk was and is one of the most frequently used fabrics for the fashion industry and clothing in general, the difference in the silk quality and durability is up to the manufacturer, making the high quality ones the most famous for their outstanding products, do not be fooled by the industry that seems to be so simple, as many thing are what seems simple is very complicated, techniques and tradition are mixed in the silk trade to provide the best results and these are not easy to get.

So the next time you think of silk try and think about where it comes from, the distances it travels and how did it originate, from what part of the globe, how many hands did it pass on the way to being the fabric of which your clothes are made and how extraordinary it is that this old trade is, to some extent, still carried out today. This is the unique story of silk.

Silk is a natural protein fibre that can be woven into textiles. It is obtained from the cocoon of silkworm larvae reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fibres' triangular prism-like structure which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles

Silk is the most sought after fiber since ancient times. It is an extremely lustrous and soft fiber and is obtained from the caterpillar of the moth Bombyx mori. The production of silk is a time consuming and labour intensive practice.

Production of silk involves a wide range of steps starting from cultivation of cocoons to manufacture of silk yarns. Various methods have been adapted since ancient times to produce high quality silk. Silk production today is a combination of old and modern techniques.

Silkworms produce the high-priced and ever demanding silk by spewing out thread from tiny holes in their jaws, which in turn is used to spin into their egg-bearing cocoons. The entire production takes a mere 72 hours, during which time they produce between 500-1200 silken threads.

The various steps of silk production process include:

a.. Cultivation of Cocoons (Sericulture)

b.. Filature Operations

c.. Manufacture of Silk Yarns

Though silk is a high-priced fabric, it has been one of the most popular fabrics because of its unique properties.

The unique properties associated with silk include:soft, supple, strong, lighter than any other natural fiber. Silk has been valued sine time immemorial for its lightness with warmth, delicacy with resiliency and sheerness with strength.

The various factors that has to be considered while evaluating silk fiber include:

a.. Strength: Silk is considered to be the strongest natural fiber. The strength of the silk fabric is largely affected by its construction as well as finish. The uniform and continuous length of filaments in thrown yarns contribute to the strength of silk fiber. The smoothness of the silk filament yarns decreases the problem of wear from abrasion. Although strong, spun silk yarn is weaker than thrown silk filament yarns. Duoppioni and pierced cocoon silk are usually stronger than other types of silk staple.

b.. Resilience: Silk fabrics are known for retaining their shape and resisting wrinkles as well. Fabrics made from pure-dyed silk and wild silk generally are more resilient. Fabrics having greater amount of weighting or or made from short-staple spun silk have comparatively less resilience.

c.. Elasticity: As with most natural fibers, the elasticity of silk also varies. Elasticity of the yarn and the fabric is affected by the type of yarn used, the construction of the fabric and the finish given to it.

d.. Heat Conductivity: Silk is a protein fiber like wool and hence it is a non conductor of heat. The fact that silk prevents body heat from radiating outward, it is very useful for winter apparel, especially scarves. Very fine yarns made of silk and woven into very sheer fabric makes silk comfortable for wearing in summer.

e.. Drapability: The excellent drapability of silk is imparted by its unique properties like pliability and suppleness, along with elasticity and resilience.

f.. Absorbency: Silk has a very good absorptive power, and this feature contributes to its comfort in a warmer atmosphere.

g.. Shrinkage: As a result of straightness of the filament, smooth and soft silk fabrics only have a normal shrinkage that can be easily restored by ironing.

h.. Reaction to Bleaches: Strong bleaches containing sodium hypochlorite deteriorates silk. A mild bleach hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate with normal caution can be used with silk fabrics.