By Shreya Shrivastava October 07, 2020

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That’s how people knew that garments are an important part of their lives. When the emperor went out without any garment, he was called Fool. The emperor was so fond of the new clothes that he didn't even realise that there were no clothes. The gold and the silk provided to the weavers, instead of weaving it, they filled their bag and ran away.  

We all have read this tale THE EMPEROR NEW CLOTHES in our kindergarten, but what we didn’t realise then was ‘the garment is not just to cover our body but also for our image’. There are fabrics which are divided according to the purpose, symbol, status and comfort. It would be unfair not to talk about the Queen if we are talking about fabric. THE QUEEN OF FABRIC- SILK is known for its shine, strength, durability and lustre. 

The royal fabric has a rich trading history all over the world. Silk is the symbol of royalty due to its qualities like soft feel, elegant and classic appearance, high cost of production. Silk is also a very popular textile in high end and haute couture designs. 

 

“Silk does for the body what a diamond does for the hand” -Oscar de la Renta

 

The journey of the silk  Everything has its journey in this world, human-animal, and ever product. The journey defines the process and establishes the change. The journey starts with the birth, carried on with growth, and declines with time to death. Silk has a journey and a story. Being a natural fibre, the journey of silk starts with the insect’s nest(cocoon) production. This journey involves numbers of the process that makes these larvae into the fine soft fabric.  

 

 

Cocoon to wardrobe  Silkworm cocoon to wardrobe essential, the technique involves a lot of effort and hard work. Firstly, the silkworms are fed mulberry leaves. After 27-37 days, silkworms stop eating and ready to spin their cocoon. It took 3-8 days to form a cocoon. This process is known as harvesting cocoons or raising silkworms.  

Once the cocoons are formed, it is then placed into the boiling water to dissolve the gum that holds the cocoon. The smooth and soft fabric then reeled into an individual reel. These silk threads which wound on the reel are called silk yarn. This process is known as thread extraction. 

These silk threads then go for the bleaching process and are followed by the dyeing process. Where these threads are bleached, first at absorbs the colour properly. These silk threads then coloured with natural dye or acid dye this process is called Dyeing.

Now comes the magical step - spinning and weaving. Spinning is where unwinded the dyed fibres on the bobbins. The spinning process is just like a map to the traveller. Whereas, weaving is the creation of a whole new world. When the two sets of yarn intersect together to form a new fabric, this process is known as weaving. These all process involves the formation of the silk fabric

 

Red Leaf Muslim Jamdani Zatika	Baby Pink Leaf Muslim Jamdani Zatika	Green Leaf Muslim Jamdani Zatika

 

Best in Quality  Silk is considered as the most luxurious fabric. Ancient Queens and Royals were very fond of this soft and shiny fabric. No more has changed from then people still have the 'Queen of the fabric' in their wardrobe as a status symbol.

 Silk is a tensile fabric which makes it more desirable. The texture of the 'Queen of fabric' is a soft sheen like, which gives it a high-end and a royal appearance. 

The smooth surface of the silk resists the soil and smells very well. The royal fabric cools and warms accordingly to the weather. Silk lets your skin breath and contributes to your comfort. Silk is made up of larvae of silkworm it contains protein which is why this is hypoallergenic (unlikely to cause allergies) among all other fabrics. Glossy, wrinkle-resistant, soft, easy to care for, and strong. Other fabric can only claim to have these qualities whereas silk, “QUEEN is after all QUEEN”. 

 

Increases the Social Value  In ancient times fine silk was only worn by the high position people whereas ordinary people wore wool or other fabric. Silk has always been a status symbol, whether it's today or 5000Bc ago. Emperor Akbar introduced silk in India when he brought weavers from East Turkestan to Kashmir. 

Gold and silver embroidered to make this royal fabric more luxurious. The costly fabric is well known for its high price because of this embroidery. Apart from the garments, silk is also used for many other purposes -  from bed sheet to night dress; from tie to sarees, from tops to scarfs and whatnot. Silk has always been known as a royal garment and will be known as Royal garment because there is only one Queen of the Fabric that is SILK.

 

 

Widely Utilize Silk is highly admired fabric by both men and women - Bridal, formal, informal, decoratives, sheet, scarfs silk is everywhere. Due to its floaty and lustre appearance, brides always prefer silk as it complements with the jewellery  and other accessories. 

Being a soft, cosy, and comfy silk is widely preferred for bedding. Shiny and beautiful silk is also used to weave wall decoratives.

 

There are so many qualities we can count on for being silk, a queen of the fabric. Thanks to these timeless qualities that have kept silk the most lovable fabric of all time.

All I wish was the emperor knew the same and maybe then he would have been known as a 'Fashionable emperor' and not a 'Fool emperor'. 

What is your favourite quality of silk? Post your review in the comments below

Mustard Yellow & Green Banarasi Ikkat Saree With Kairi Border	Dark Pink & Green Banarasi Ikkat Saree With Kairi Border	Teal Green & Pink Banarasi Ikkat Saree With Kairi Border