Discover 6 exotic variants of vegan silk

Image courtesy: https://www.eluxemagazine.com

Introduction

We all are quite aware of the fact that silkworms are dipped into boiling water for every pound of silk that is manufactured at the silk industry. It is a highly traumatic and a painful experience for silkworms from the cocoons from which silk threads are extracted. Hence, silk is not an ethical or sustainable one for the environment we live in. I have shortlisted 6 variants of vegan friendly silk that are procured through an exciting blend of chemicals or synthetic products. You can derive silk threads from plant-based ingredients. Let us discover these variants of vegan silk one by one:


Cupro


Cupro is a firm that deals with veganizing silk to promote the apparel industry as a matter of fact. This is a firm that re-creates soft and silken material from recycled strands of cotton fabrics. Nulufer Bracco is behind the inception of this great vegan-silk brand. You get satin silk touch kimonos, sleeping masks and pillows that are 100% cruelty free. This is a brand we should definitely encourage to grow bigger. As these are are created using recycled cotton or other forms of cellulose based fabrics, certain chemicals are also added to the same. You have ammonia, copper or caustic soda that are added to harden the fibers. Therefore, you must discard the fabrics using an utmost degree of care and caution. Technological advancements have made this form of vegan silkk quite sustainable despite its heavy composition of chemicals. Cupro vegan silk is absolutely delicate and soft. This is a material that has silk smoothness replicating real time silk.


Spider Silk- Chemically procured


Spider webs are five times stronger than steel. In fact, the cob webs found in your home, also called spider webs, are more elastic than rubber bands. At the chemical labs, this form of silk is formulated. It contains the same chemical composition as that of spider silk. At the lab, spider silk is created using three primary ingredients. These are yeast, sugar, and water. The resulting pure silk is further fermented to obtain a form of vegan silk that can be as sturdy as spider silk. As the ingredients go through the process of fermentation, it is the yeast that adds tensile strength to this form of vegan silk. This is a synthetic form of spider silk as promoted by Bolt Threads. This firm has also partnered with another eco-friendly clothing brand as a matter of fact.


Lotus Silk


Lotus silk is obtained from lotus flowers. No chemicals or toxic substances are used while fabric is designed from the stems of lotus blossoms. Hence, this is the most eco friendly variants of vegan silk. As lotus flowers are so highly in demand, its stems are cut out. Labourers use at least 6500 lotus stems to weave one meter of the hand-woven fabric. Its natural fibers have hues ranging from cafe latte until deeper mocha. 


Fabrics made from lotus silk are delicate and wrinkle free too. The apparels or fabrics made from this form of silk are breathable, soft and light weight. This is a highly luxurious form of silk that takes its roots from South East Asia. Moyadi is a brand that canvasses fabrics made exclusively from lotus silk. They also package the materials in high eco-friendly materials like re-usable glass jars, plant-based compostable pouches and unbleached sugarcane made boxes. Maylyn and Co, is another fashion brand based out of Persia that aims to create linen made from lotus silk.


Art Silk


Art silk is derived from bamboo shoots actually. You can make linen from the ecologically sustainable product using two ways:


  1. Mechanically
  2. Chemically

Hand woven fabrics made from bamboo shoots involves the mechanical process. This is a labor intensive process, as a matter of fact. Bamboo shoots are crushed. Natural enzymes act into the crushed fibers and then you get a mushy mass kind of a thing. This is typical to the sugarcane molasses post crushing. The material is then combed out and spun into yarn. Bamboo linen gives the texture of raw silk as compared to a satin like finish of original silk. 


Chemically speaking, the bamboo shoots and leaves are dipped into Caustic soda, also known as Sodium Hydroxide or NaOH and carbon disulphide. You call it hydrolysis alkalization. Although not ecologically sustainable, vegans prefer using art silk in their saris, blouses or jacquard printed sherwani suits. Bamboo blonde from Australia promotes light weight fabrics made from bamboo silk. You get shimmery crop tops and blouses made from this variant of plant-based silk. Kokoro Organics also make super-soft bamboo silk fabrics that are perfect for night wear. 


Ramie


If you look at it, Ramie is a type of silk, that is obtained from the fibers of yet another flowering plant. The finished product has the drape, look and feel of raw silk. This is a sophisticated form of silk that was woven almost for decades in countries like the Philippines, China, Brazil, and Indonesia. Clothing designers make exotic varieties of scarves, wrap-around skirts, blouses, and floral dresses. You have an Italian label called Balossa. They have their entire range of designs from Ramie fibers. Joshlin is also another fashion brand that feels proud to bring authentic forms of clothing from Ramie.


Orange Silk


Can you believe if I were to say that silk can be made from the discarded peels of an orange? Yes, you heard me right. Orange silk is a beautiful variety of silk that is made from peels of squashed or discarded oranges. This is an incredibly soft variant of vegan silk. A fashion designer specializes in creating apparel and garments using this extravagant form of plant-based silk. His brand is Salvatore Ferragamo. This is an Italian brand as a matter of fact. The brand has recently named its store ‘Orange Fiber Fabric’, which is exactly what it does. The name resonates so well with the brand as it specializes in making apparel using orange fibers. H& M Collections also have garments made from ‘Orange Silk’. Go check them out.

Conclusion

These are all international brands trying to compete with each other over their production of luxuriant forms of plant-based silk. So, what more are you waiting for?

Ideas inspired by 6 Sustainable Vegan Silks That Do No Harm (eluxemagazine.com)

About Vvegano:

We are an online vegan store based out of India. We have personalized lifestyle products catering to people belonging to the present millennium.  You get nut butters, mock meats, plant-based sweets, dairy-free alternatives, groceries and wellness care products from our store. Do check out some of our outstanding collections right here:

  1. Plant-based milk- https://vvegano.com/collections/plant-based-milk
  2. Nut butters- https://vvegano.com/collections/nut-butters
  3. Chocolates- https://vvegano.com/collections/chocolates
  4. Plant-based butters- https://vvegano.com/collections/dairy-butter-alternatives
  5. Dairy-free Curds- https://vvegano.com/collections/vegan-curd-yoghurt
  6. Vegan Paneer- https://vvegano.com/collections/tofu-paneer
  7. Cheese- https://vvegano.com/collections/vegan-cheese
  8. Mock meat collections- https://vvegano.com/collections/plantbased-vegan-meats
  9. Sweets- https://vvegano.com/collections/sweets
  10. Flours- https://vvegano.com/collections/flours

For more, log in to https://www.vvegano.com