History of Europe

Where does the material to make silk fabric come from?

The material to make silk fabric comes from the cocoons of certain moth species, most notably the mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori). Silkworms are the larvae of these moths, and they produce silk threads to form their cocoons, which protect them during their pupal stage.

Mulberry silkworms are raised in sericulture, a process that involves cultivating mulberry trees, which serve as the primary food source for the silkworms. After the silkworms hatch, they are carefully tended and fed a steady diet of mulberry leaves. As they grow larger, they enter the spinning stage, during which they secrete a protein-based liquid composed of two filaments known as fibroin and sericin. These strands gradually solidify into a single thread, and the silkworm builds its cocoon by using a figure-eight movement to weave the thread.

Once the cocoons are formed, they are collected and boiled, which loosens the sericin glue and allows the long silk threads to be unwound. These threads are then twisted together to form a thicker yarn, which can be used to weave silk fabric.