An example of a beautiful silk shawl.
There is nothing more pleasing to the eye and touch than elegant silk. It's used for everything from apparel and purses to table linens and window coverings. But did you know that creating the sumptuous fabric involves cruelty to the tiny, beautiful creature that produces the silk?
The cocoons of commercially farmed silk, which accounts for the majority of silk production worldwide, are harvested before the silk worm metamorphoses into a moth or butterfly. The caterpillar pupae are killed by either sticking a needle in the cocoon or dropping it into boiling water. After they're killed, the silk is harvested.
Fair trade cruelty-free silk, however, isn't harvested until after the moth has flown off. The silk worms are cultivated on forest trees, fed by the women who eventually weave the
Artisans working.
fabric. They spin the thread from the broken cocoons, giving a textured look to the yarn and the weave. The wild silk is lustrous and soft, with a natural golden color.
Being kind to the earth should also incorporate being kind to its creatures. Fair trade silk assures even the smallest of earth's creatures are treated with care.
Stephanie King
Fair Trade Designs
