What is Silk?
Quick answer
Silk is a natural protein fibre. It is spun by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm to build a cocoon, and it is composed mainly of a protein called fibroin. What makes it unlike any other textile fibre is that it comes out of the silkworm as one continuous filament — a single cocoon can yield a thread hundreds of metres long, with no joins in it.
That single fact explains most of what silk does. A continuous filament can be reeled, twisted and woven without the short overlapping fibres that wool, cotton and linen are made of, which is why silk is smoother, stronger for its weight, and far more lustrous than any spun fibre. Every silk twill scarf we make begins with that filament.
What silk actually is, fibre by fibre
Silk fibre has three parts. At the centre is fibroin, the structural protein that gives silk its strength and its ability to hold a shape. Around it are two layers of sericin, a gum that glues the filament into the cocoon. Sericin is removed during degumming — that is when the fibre becomes soft, lustrous and ready to reel.
A single filament is roughly ten micrometres across, which puts it in the same range as a fine human hair. Woven at the densities used for scarves, thousands of those filaments cross each other per square inch, and it is that density — not thickness — that gives silk twill its body.
Mulberry silk, and the other silks
Not all silk is the same fibre, and the difference starts with what the silkworm eats.
| Type | What produces it | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Mulberry silk | Bombyx mori, fed on mulberry leaves | The finest and most uniform silk. Long, even, creamy white filaments. This is the fibre we work in. |
| Tussah silk | Wild silkworms feeding on oak and other leaves | Coarser and darker — often a honey or tan tone — with shorter filaments. Used where a natural, textured look is wanted. |
| Eri silk | Samia ricini, fed on castor leaves | A softer, warmer-handling silk, usually spun rather than reeled because the filament does not unwind in one piece. |
| Spider silk | Spiders | Not commercial. It is stronger than silkworm silk by weight, and it cannot be farmed at scale. |
When a specification says simply "silk", ask which. The fibre, the filament length and the degumming all change what the finished scarf feels like.
Why silk behaves nothing like polyester
This is the comparison that matters when a specification is being questioned, so it is worth having the reasons rather than the adjectives.
| Property | Mulberry silk | Polyester | Why a buyer cares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibre form | One continuous filament, hundreds of metres per cocoon | Extruded filament, cut and processed | A continuous filament weave has no fibre ends to work loose, so the surface stays smooth. |
| Hand | Smooth, dry, warms quickly against the skin | Cool and slick at first, then holds warmth | How a scarf feels in the first three seconds is what a customer judges it by. |
| Sheen | Soft lustre that shifts as the light moves | Flat, high, plastic shine | The single most visible difference in a photograph, and the first thing a buyer notices in person. |
| Colour | Takes dye deeply, with richness and gradation | Takes colour, but flatter and more uniform | A print on silk has tonal depth; the same file on polyester looks posterised. |
| Weight for warmth | Warm for its weight, breathable | Warm, but does not breathe | Relevant to any scarf worn against the neck for hours. |
| Biodegradability | A protein fibre — biodegrades | A synthetic polymer — does not | Increasingly a line on a brand's own sourcing brief. |
| Care | Hand wash cool or dry clean; press on low | Machine washable | The one place polyester wins, and it should be said plainly. |
How silk is measured — and what the number does not tell you
Silk fabric is sold by momme, written mm. Momme is a weight: it is the weight in pounds of a piece of cloth 45 inches wide and 100 yards long. For the same weave, a higher momme means heavier cloth with more body; a lower momme means cloth that is lighter and more fluid.
What momme does not tell you is quality. It says nothing about the grade of the raw filament, how well the silk was degummed, how evenly it was woven, or how the print was applied. A 16 momme scarf from a careful mill and a 16 momme scarf from a careless one carry the same number and are not the same product.
This matters commercially, because momme is the easiest number to put on a quotation and the easiest one to lean on. Treat it as one line of a specification, not as the specification.
How to tell silk from a synthetic
Three checks, none of which needs equipment.
- Look at the sheen. Real silk has a soft lustre that changes as you move the cloth. Synthetic fabric tends to have a flat, high shine that looks the same from every angle.
- Feel it. Silk warms quickly in the hand and feels smooth but substantial, with a slight dryness. Polyester stays cool and feels slicker than it looks.
- Burn a loose thread. Over a sink, away from anything flammable: silk smells like burnt hair and leaves a soft black ash that crushes between the fingers. Polyester melts into a hard bead and smells chemical. It is a useful indication rather than a laboratory result.
Questions we are asked about silk
Is silk a natural fibre?
Yes. Silk is a protein fibre produced by the silkworm, made mainly of fibroin. It is fully natural and, unlike polyester, it biodegrades.
Is silk stronger than cotton?
For its weight, yes. Silk is a continuous filament, so there are no short fibre ends to abrade, and it holds its strength well when woven at scarf weights. It is more sensitive to sunlight and to harsh detergents than cotton, which is a care issue rather than a strength one.
What does 16 momme mean?
It is the weight of the cloth: 16 pounds per 45 inch by 100 yard piece. For silk twill, 14 to 19 momme is the range we weave, and 16 is a mid-weight that holds a knot while still draping. Momme measures weight, not quality.
Does mulberry silk come from a worm?
It comes from the larva of the Bombyx mori moth, which is what people mean by silkworm. The larva spins a cocoon of a single silk filament; the filament is reeled off and woven. The moth is not harmed in the reeling of mulberry silk, because the cocoon is steamed before the moth emerges.
Where to go next
If you are specifying an order, the useful next reads are origins of silk for where the fibre comes from, types of silk for the eight weaves and what each one does, and why silk for the case you can put in front of whoever holds the budget. The silk guide pulls all of it together, and the custom programme covers what we can produce to your artwork.
Sourcing a silk scarf programme? Send the artwork, the format and the quantity, and we will come back with a specification and a price.
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