Muga Silk Dress Material

Background

Sericulture in Assam is an ancient industry from the time of origin. Muga production received great patronage from the Ahom dynasty (1228-1826), under whose reign muga culture thrived and became a part of the social and economic life of the Assamese people. Muga silk was recognized as a protected geographical indication (GI) in 2007, and was granted a GI logo for trademark purposes in 2014. The logo has been registered with the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council. The Central Silk Board of India has been granted the authority to inspect muga silk products, certify their authenticity and allow producers to use the Gl logo. This board is also involved in R&D and infrastructure development for Assamese silk, , through the Central MugaEri Research & Training Institute (CMER&TI) in Jorhat, Assam.

Material Used

Muga silk yarn, the product of the silkworm Antheraeaassamensisendemic to Assam. In the Brahmaputra Valley, the larvae of the Assam silk moth feed on aromatic som (Machilusbombycina) and sualu (Litsaeapolyantha) leaves. Muga silk, due to its low porosity, difficult to be bleached or dyed, and hence retains its natural beautiful golden tint. This silk can be hand-washed with its lustre increasing after every wash. 

Technique applied

Weavers used a simple technique to weave the fabric of plain design. To weave this fabric weaver used a fly shuttle frame loom with two head shafts with a drafting order of 1,2,1,2, However to make the warp, the yarn was sized. And during weaving the pirn of weft yarn became damped with water to get better texture per picks per inch.

How to distinguish genuine Muga fabric

• Naturally rich hand woven golden color which has the quality of appearing like spun gold Texture is glossy,
• Lustrous and sheen is enhanced due to its natural luster.
• Durability is beyond life time, which is a known fact.
• As the fabric ages its golden luster increases.
• Muga has resilience for any shape. According to preference it can attain either a fine texture by simple dry ironing from a damp state or a crushed crepe look leaving it unironed. Washing the fabric frequently with a mild washing material does not harm the silk. In fact with every wash the quality of muga gets finer and softer.
• Moisture regain capacity is about 30%, which are better than other silks
• Experiments conducted on the ultra violet filtering properties of muga silk has proved that muga silk fabric absorbs 85.08% of the harmful ultra violet rays in sunlight. An excellent sunshield protection for the skin.

Source : India Handloom Brand