What it is

Mulberry silk is the cloth most people picture when they hear the word silk. It is reeled from the cocoons of Bombyx mori — silkworms fed exclusively on the leaves of the mulberry tree. The diet matters. A diet of only mulberry leaves produces the finest, longest, most uniform silk filaments known to any silkworm species. A single cocoon can yield a continuous thread up to one thousand metres long.

This is the silk that built the Silk Road. It has been continuously produced in some form for nearly five thousand years. Its core qualities — the cool slip against the skin, the depth of lustre, the strength relative to weight — have never been improved upon by any synthetic alternative.

How it is made

Cocoons are sorted by size and condition, then placed in hot water. This loosens the sericin gum that holds the silk filament together and softens the cocoon enough for the end of a filament to be located. Several filaments — typically four to ten — are then reeled together onto a spool to form one workable silk thread. The reeled thread is degummed, dyed, and woven.

An honest note. Conventional reeling kills the silkworm inside the cocoon. Mulberry silk produced this way is therefore not a peace silk. If non-violent production is essential to you, look instead at Matka, Ketia, Eri, or the Tussar-Muga blend — each of which allows the moth to emerge before the silk is harvested. Mulberry silk earns its place in the library on a different axis: it is the most refined, the most fluid, the most lustrous of all silks.

The hand

Cool to the touch. Fluid in drape. The unmistakable shimmering lustre that has made silk a luxury fabric for four thousand years. Softer and more uniform than any wild silk — you can feel the difference in five seconds against the back of your hand. It catches and reflects light the way still water does.

Why it is worth its price

Silk is the strongest natural fibre by tensile measure — weight for weight, a silk filament is stronger than a steel filament of the same diameter. It is also one of the most temperature-regulating fibres known: cool against the skin in summer, warming when layered in winter. The protein keratin in silk closely matches the protein in human hair and skin, which is why silk sits so gently against the body.

Mulberry is the gold standard. When silk is described in any other context — medical sutures, weighing balances, parachute lines — it is mulberry silk that was tested and trusted.

How to care for it

• Dry-clean is the strongly recommended cleaning method for tailored mulberry silk pieces.
• If hand-washing: cool water, silk-specific detergent. No agitation, no soaking longer than five minutes.
• Never wring. Roll the garment in a clean dry towel to absorb water.
• Dry: lay flat, or hang from a padded hanger, away from direct sun. UV light degrades silk and yellows white silk over time.
• Iron: on the reverse, on a cool setting, while slightly damp, with a pressing cloth between iron and silk.
• Perfume and deodorant: apply before dressing, never directly onto silk. Alcohol leaves permanent marks.
• Storage: hang on a padded hanger or fold with acid-free tissue. Keep cedar or lavender nearby. Silk moths are real.
• Long-term: rotate. A silk piece worn three days in a row will retain creases and lose its loft; rested twenty-four hours between wears, it recovers fully.

Best worn as

Shirts, dresses, blouses, linings, evening pieces, scarves. The most versatile silk in any wardrobe. Mulberry rewards careful tailoring; the better the cut, the more the silk shows off the body of the garment.