1. Exhibition: Nature crafting fashion
  2. Silk and wool
Exhibition

Nature crafting fashion

Silk and wool

Materials

colour photograph of a ball of silk.

Nature does not only provide motifs and patterns for fashion. It also supplies the raw materials to create accessories and clothes that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Silk

One of the most precious materials is surely silk, whose history dates back many thousands of years to China, where craftspeople developed secret techniques to produce the finest quality of silk. Recent archaeological finds along the banks of China’s Yangtze River suggest that the first silk could have been made between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago.

fabric piece with pattern including architecture, people and plants.

Silk production starts with cultivating silkworms (Bombyx mori) from the egg stage through to the completion of their cocoon. This process is called sericulture. Once the collection of the cocoon is done, its silk threads are extracted.

Processes of dyeing, spinning, weaving and finishing lead to the final product, which can then be further embroidered and embellished.

colour photograph of an unspun ball of silk threads.
samples of dyed silk in green, yellow and purple.

Silk produced in China was transported via the Silk Road, bringing this precious material to the West.

From ancient Romans, such as Emperor Caligula, who famously dressed in silk impersonating female gods such as Diana and Juno, to the elegant and established diplomats at the court of 18th century France, silk has been widely used to signal wealth and status.

black and white illustration, people and camels carrying goods walking along mountainous paths.
black and white photograph, women standing beside silk factory machines.

Wool

Wool is certainly one of the most widespread materials, and not only in fashion: its intrinsic qualities make it perfect to protect from both heat and cold, and this is why it has been used for centuries and at different latitudes.

black and white photograph, two men shearing sheep while a crowd watch.

The techniques used to produce different wool and woollen garments have been perfected over time, and are at the basis of a heritage shared by communities in many different locations around the world.

black and white engraving, showing people dipping sheep in a river, shearing them in a field and washing, beating and combing the wool.

The process for creating wool consists of several steps: shearing, washing, carding to straighten the fibres, and finally spinning to turn the raw material into yarn.

Different kinds of yarn come from different spinning techniques: worsted spinning makes a thin yarn used for suits and other finer garments; woollen spinning makes the thicker yarn used in knitting.

black and white photograph, two figures looking at a large machine.

Thanks to its ability to absorb water quickly, wool is easy to dye and can be dyed with both natural and artificial colours. Designers have taken advantage of the qualities of wool and pushed the boundaries of fashion with it.

two pieces of differently dyed wool with writing next to them.