Chinese Mud Silk
Image courtesy Noir-Handmade.
Our latest issue, 94, the Earth Issue is now available to buy. In this issue, we celebrate the soil. We marvel at the domestication of root systems on a miniature scale and a giant scale in the living root bridges of the Khasis, India. We enjoy Nathalie Seiller Dejean’s mastery of the ancient art of straw work and Eliurpi’s stylish straw hats. And we are inspired by the artisans from the Guangdong Province of China who use mud from the river to dye their famed Mud Silk. Marcella Echavarria, founder of Noir Handmade, writes about the labour-intensive production process necessary to create this special fabric.
Image courtesy Noir-Handmade.
Season specific, production only occurs between March and November in Canton. Climate change has had a direct impact on this cultural practice for two reasons: changes in the iron content of the river due to pollution and changes in the seasons making it difficult for artisans to plan and respond to weather conditions. The stages of production include repeated dyeing and sun-drying.
Noir, a label devoted to mud-silk, is a personal project for Marcella. It combines her interest in preserving heritage textile techniques with her love of design, and passion for the beautiful and well-made. Noir presents editions of mud-silk garments once in a while, according to the availability of the fabric and the different hues that the Pearl river creates each year. With no seasons and using only a single size, Noir’s pieces are made to layer, mix and match. We are pleased to sell items from Marcella’s clothing collection in our Artisan Goods shop; we have garments made from mud silk including a blouse, a kimono-style jacket, a short jacket and tunics.
Image courtesy Noir-Handmade.
For more information, visit our shop and buy Issue 94 here.
3 comments
Loved watching this, as I’d heard about Kimono fabric being dyed this way. Hope the people employed in this process receive a fair price for their labours in producing this wonderfully coloured fabric. Following your suggestions for projects at home during lockdown I had a go at dyeing with Rhubarb leaves from my garden … it works… amazing colour .. thankyou!
It is interesting to learn the mud silk is being made in such quantities today. Anyone interested in mud silk might like to read my research on mud silk in the 1920s: “Mud Silk and the Chinese Laundress: From the South China Silk Industry to Mud Silk Suits in Maine.” Vol.1 Textile History, 2014.
Thank you for making this video documenting this fascinating textile process. It is inspiring and educational and gives us all a respect for the use of natural materials in an innovative – although traditional – way to create these beautiful textiles.