History of Silk

Silk has been regarded by the Chinese as the ultimate luxurious cloth for over 4000 years. Originally only the Emperor could wear it. Later high officials at court were granted the privilege. As production techniques improved, so its usage spread.It was once be used as currency due to its high value. China started to trade silk westwards when the trading route we now call The Silk Road opened in the 2nd Century AD. The secret of how to make silk was successfully kept on pain of death in China for nigh on 2500 years. Eventually it got out to Khotan, an oasis just north of the Tibetan Plain, in the 5th century. A Chinese princess was betrothed to the King of Khotan. She smuggled cocoons and mulberry seeds in her headdress.

Around 550 AD, it is said that two Christian monks successfully smuggled cocoons in their bamboo walking staffs back from Khotan to Constantinople. They had been commissioned to the task by Emperor Justinian of Byzantium. The secret, or techniques, of silk production only spread further west some 700 years later. France and Italy were the leading European manufacturers by the 15th century. Some of the Huguenots, having fled France and Flanders, set up a silk weaving complex at Spitalfields in London in the 1620s.

Today silk is grown mainly in Asia, with China steadily regaining her traditional major market share by increasing production. The demand for silk has increased steadily over time, despite the inroads made by much cheaper man-made fibres. The fact is that people prefer silk over almost any other fibre when circumstances allow. As prosperity spreads, so does the demand for silk.

“Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk”

12th Century Painting by Chinese Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty