Perhaps one of the most sought after products in Thailand is silk. It is smooth, soft with exceptional colors and patterns, stemming from unique manufacturing processes. It is safe to say that Thai silk is one of the finest fabrics in the world. It is as if you can feel the personal care and attention as well as its soft features once you adorn a silk garment. You always wondered where the shimmering effect from silk comes from? No, it is not artificial; it naturally comes from the usual structure of the silk fiber itself!

If you are looking for Thailand’s capital for silk, then head northeast. The Khorat Plateau. But silk has been discovered to exist over 3000 years ago in Baan Chiang, Thailand (an archaeological and UNESCO Heritage Site), considered to be one of Southeast Asia’s earliest civilizations.

Thai silk starts from the silkworm. From the moment they are born, they are immediately fed mulberry tree leaves. They can feed for as long as a year until they are ready to spin a cocoon. And yes, the thread that builds the cocoon is the material needed to make silk. The cocoon is actually one long thread that measures anywhere between 500-1500 meters in length.

The smoothness and grace of the silk we see in stores and on wearers are not always like that at first. Raw silk is bumpy and uneven in the beginning. The thread is then bleached dyed because the natural yellow coloring of Thai silk yarn has to be removed. The dried and dyed silk is then ready to be spun, either by hand or by machine.

Hand woven silk combines the grace, skill and precision of the weaver along with its unique fabric and design, making each hand-made silk garment exclusive.  The weaving process is a long and tedious task. Machine woven silk, however is much faster and is produced in the masses, resulting in an end-product that is still good in terms of quality but lacks the character and originality of the hand woven ones.

And by now, you’d know that silk can be made into anything, ranging from neckties, shirts, pillows, blankets, sarongs and even underwear! You may have heard of Jim Thompson, the man who revived the Thai silk industry and who mysteriously vanished one day while going out for a walk. Visit his house where you will learn more about the man, his profession, the industry, silk and silk making.

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