Silk: An immortal fashion

As defined by the title itself, in the world of fashion “Silk” is an evergreen word. Basically the past life of silk began from china and then entered in India through the “Silk Road” (sikkim). The fiber used by mankind since 4^th millennium BC is actually the production of a tiny larva of an insect called silkworm. Basically there are different types of silk fiber produced by different species of silkworm, like Eri, Tassar, Muga, and Mulberry.

Eri silk: also called as endi or errandi is obtained without killing the silkworm and hence called as Ahimsa silk or Peace silk. This type is mostly used by the Buddhists monks of India, China, Nepal and Japan of non-violent origin.

Tassar silk: also called as Kosa silk in sanskrit produced in central Indian states. Production of this type takes place in wild forests, thus also known as Wild silk.

But the most famous and widely used Mulberry silk is the product of Bombyx mori silkworm’s larvae. In order to have 1 kg of silk, around 104 kgs of mulberry leaves must be eaten by 3000 silkworms. And the process of its production is called as Sericulture.

The fibers combined to form the cloth we purchase consists of two main proteins sericin and fibroin. These provide the rigid structure and tensile strength to it. The cloth formed is highly lustrous and the shine increases with every wash. The absorbency of cloth make it comfortable to wear in warm weather and low conductivity keeps warm air close to skin during winters. Hence the properties of silk make itself highly usable in textile industries.

Most of the fabrics made from it are for the women sector. Immensely famous product is the silk saree, that every Indian women possess in her wardrobe. The silk saree made in India at different sites are popular due to their different qualities. Many of them also possess the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Some of them are:

· Chanderi silk (Madhya Pradesh)

· Mysore silk (Karnataka)

· Muga silk (Assam)

· Banarasi silk (Uttar pradesh)

· Kota silk (Rajasthan)

While there are 12 more like them, the chanderi silk and the banarasi silk are most famous.

The Chanderi silk saree are popular due to its texture, luxurious feel, light weight, and soft pastel hues. In chanderi, a small town with historical importance in MP, the mulberry silk is weaved with golden threads to enhance the beauty of the attire designed.

The Banarasi silk saree are traditionally popular, as they were gifted to the bride at marriage ceremony as a remembrance. Thus, most of the married women have it. Also the banarasi saree made with captivating borders and mesmerizing designs with silk threads, attract us.