The History of Silk Apparel
Many of us have one of these silk items in their wardrobe; slip dress, blouse, shirt or scarf. These pieces, by virtue of their timeless fabrics, exude effortless elegance, delicacy, and sophistication. The ability to dress these fabrics both up and down has fortified their relatively immortal influence on fashion trends. Silk has long remained a treasure in history. Its invention made a profound difference as the demand for silk created the 'Silk Road' which transformed trade across Europe and Asia and its impact was significant around the world.
Silk was originally discovered back in 2696 BC by an Empress from the East by Hsi-Ling-Shih (also known as Leizu or Xi Ling-shi). The story goes, while taking her tea in the garden, a silkworm cocoon fell into her cup. As she peered into the hot water, she noticed that the cocoon had begun to unravel and the thread was very strong and soft. While the accuracy of this story is uncertain, it offers insight into the basic first steps of silk production.
Silk became an important status symbol shortly after its discovery. It requires lots of work, so silk is therefore cherished. At first, the Emperor only wished to wear clothing made from silk. Initially, silk remained the exclusive product of emperors of China, and their close family members, as well as prominent people in their ranks. Many older sources write about how the emperor wore white silk in his imperial palace and yellow silk at night. Several women who are heirs to the emperor have worn yellow silk outside the palace. In addition to clothing, the fabric had other uses. During a time where the barter system was still heavily relied on, silk was used as a currency in both foreign and domestic trade. Government officials were known to receive their salaries in the form of silk bolts, and farmers could pay taxes with the fabric.
China's silk had remained a beauty which didn’t go unnoticed by other nations. From the Queen Cleopatra of Egypt to the Roman Emperor Heliogabalus, silk was the most desirable fabric and with this Chinese silk, exports flourished. For instance, silk has been found in an ancient Egyptian mummy in the village of Deir el-Medina; a mummy dated to 1070 BC. While many nations hadn't learned how to make silk fabric yet they have found silks at various ancient burial sites confirming China's economic boom exporting silk. This civilization consists of Egypt, Persia, India and the Greek and Roman empires. China traded with other foreign countries before creating the Silk Road.
The silk road was established by the Han Dynasty in China in 130 BC to trade with the Middle East and Europe. Known as the Silk Route, it is named for a booming silk industry that operates along its longitude. It was this trading that gave people living far from the silk industry the ability to wear silk. It was a route that remained operational for more than centuries until the Ottoman Empire shut the silk road down in 1453 A.D. (by which time many cultures had their silk industry, including Medieval Europe that had begun producing silk).
The era of modern silk commences with the invention of mechanical looms. Due to that particular invention, the world production of silk soared and with it came new patterned silk which was used creatively in different forms of fashion. Although silk garments were for aristocrats and royalty before, the use of silk extended into other areas with a broader user base too. The silk industry continues to thrive because no other fabric comes close to its softness and beneficial properties. Silk stands the test of time with silk production dating back more than 4700 years and its spread along the silk road.