MUD SILK

Our heirloom Mud Silk pieces, also known as Tea Silk, cannot be comprehended without some explanation of the history and tradition with which it comes to us from the Guangdong province in the Ming Dynasty (14th Century AD). Mud silk is considered one of the most revered of Chinese silk craftsmanship, known for its rich tones of reddish-browns and deep black, no one batch is the same and its patina and strength change and becomes even more exceptional over time.

The labor-intensive dyeing process, also dating back to the Ming Dynasty, takes place first in the Pearl River Delta in the South of China. The silk is dyed with the vegetable juice of a yam (Dioscorea Cirrhosa) known both for its high tannin content and antibacterial properties in Chinese Medicine. Bolts of natural silk are soaked up to 40 times until the rich brown color is set. The silk is then taken to the Pearl River and coated in mineral-rich mud. Rinsed in the same river, it is then left to dry and cure the tannin and plant-dye color and allow the fibers to age and mellow. This may last several years, or even longer—in fact, some of the fabric used today was dyed in the 1980s. This organic process changes the nature of the silk, resulting in subtle and unique color variations and crisp textures.

Only then come the design, hand-stitching and the final fitting and draping to bring these heirloom pieces to life. The process is complicated but the end result is simple, and the opposite of "cut-and-paste designing," in which a garment's problems are hidden by adding distractions. The cleaner the cut, the more you will see. Our one of a kind mud silk garments are truly noble offerings that will last a lifetime.