I admit it. I'm an unabashed fan of silk. I never cease to be amazed at how different each type of silk can be...from the softest and most delicate filmy, gauzy, gorgeous chiffon to that coarse, almost rough, exciting raw or woven silk. Not to mention that silk keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
And the colors! You just can't get better or more vibrant colors than you get with silk.
And the history of silk! It's wild. Silk production has been called "The Best Kept Secret in the World". The story of how silk is made was kept by the Chinese for TWO THOUSAND YEARS!!! 2000 YEARS! Try that today. The ancients thought it was film that was carefully washed off plants...and to think that it's worms...eating mulberry leaves.
Actually, in ancient Rome, only men were allowed to wear silk...rich men, that is...VERY rich men. Silk cost a lot. One of those original Goth types who conquered Rome in about 400 AD asked for 5000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver and 4000 silk tunics. He was a big guy...
Here's some glorious vintage Betsey J in lime green silk...Betsey knows her silk...
And a dress created by Ji Young Song for our "Sustainable Couture" line...that's raw silk in Ji Young's signature weaving...matched with pumpkin suede and olive and creme Napa leathers in a rose pattern.
At ArtsEcho Galleria, we have a huge collection of silks from all over the world. We are finding the most talented emerging designers (like Ji Young Song and Aileen Lowe), letting them choose silks from our collection and then use their amazing talent and sewing/designing skills to create...Sustainable Couture! And it really is sustainable and it REALLY is one-of-a-kind COUTURE!
