Introducing NOIR Mud Silk by Marcella
Introducing NOIR Mud Silk
One size, seasonless, reversible & unisex
by Marcella Echavarria
Ten years ago in a dimly lit Beijing restaurant, I heard something unforgettable, the mellifluous sway of a lady’s trousers as she crossed the dining room. Was it leather, suede or even paper? The slightly sheer, ebony hued fabric, unlike any I had seen before, moved like the spellbinding rush of a river after the monsoon. Duck and dinner companions forgotten, I was transfixed by that evocative swish.
This rare silk, I would soon discover, has long captivated its admirers, as evidenced by its poetic names that translate from Chinese as fragrant cloud silk, bamboo silk, tea silk, lacquered silk, soft gold and singing silk cloth, among others. I knew I wanted to work with this “clothing that makes people feel like floating clouds.”
Calling this melodious textile by its more contemporary monikers, mud cloth and mud silk, in 2020 I created NOIR Handmade to honor its timeless qualities while preserving the natural process and heritage traditions. Following the rhythms of nature, NOIR would present editions according to the availability of this precious material and incorporate the unique natural shades produced each year along China’s Pearl River.
One extremely long year of intense experimentation later, I am pleased to formally launch NOIR Handmade with ‘Rust,’ a special edition that ushers this 2,500-year old legacy towards the future without impacting its organic nature.
Nature Nurtured
That sonorous first encounter led me to Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta where the base textile, a traditional southern Chinese silk, gets handmade in a naturally closed-loop organic ecosystem. Silkworms that spin its superfine threads eat the leaves of mulberry trees planted by ponds in which the fish eat the worm droppings, and in turn fertilize the mulberry trees. ‘Mud silk’ has two sides: that glossy black face I mistook for leather or paper, and on the reverse, a matte ochre shade achieved using ground organic yams. Dioscorea cirrhosa, a medicinal tuber native to the region, also adds antibacterial and antivirus properties, a benefit for people with sensitive skin.The black side, with its thin resin-like coating boasts water-resistant properties, making mud silk durable and easy to care for.
I grew to admire the textile’s varied weights from dense and cozy to feather light. Wear and washing only enhance its natural sheen. The lustrous finish increases with age as its colors intensify like the patina of fine leather while the texture softens. In imperial China, the most exquisite examples of this silk were sent to the Forbidden City then stored for years like fine wine. It is still sought after by collectors worldwide.
Ancient Chinese Secrets
Mud silk dates to the fifth century when Hakka fishermen observed their nets, treated with yam juice to prevent rotting turned black over prolonged contact with the iron-rich river mud. Applied to indigenous silk, the cloth became known as xiang yun sha, literally ‘perfumed cloud clothing,’ so called because wearers felt as if they were floating on clouds. Eventually these textiles, as well as garments fabricated from them, were exported along the Silk Route, particularly during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. In the 1920s as China’s silk industry blossomed, Chinese and European elites sought out mud silk for its natural characteristics and noble look. The finest mud silk fetched prices more expensive than gold. Mao’s Cultural Revolution brought silk production to a halt. Global demand largely shifted to ‘made in China’ synthetic materials that beget the environmental disaster of ‘fast fashion.’ Mud silk production resurfaced again in the 21st century, particularly since the technique’s recognition in 2009 as part of China´s National Intangible Culture Heritage.
The high price of mud silk meant mainly merchants and wealthy people wore the native fabric. In old Guangzhou, loose tops and pants could be seen on opera singers, tea- purveyors, bankers, silk dealers, among other members of the fashionable classes.
Green New Deal
Climate change has a direct effect on mud silk production. Alterations in the iron content of the Pearl River due to over-exploitation and shifting, unpredictable weather patterns make this 2,500-year-old cultural practice increasingly difficult for artisans. “I live at the mercy of weather,” laments Liang Zhu. A leading inheritor of the tradition, Zhu owns of one of the few centers that can still produce genuine mud silk gauze, located in Shunde in China´s Guagdong Province.
Every nuance of this astonishing material is tied to climate and earth. Starting with silk, a renewable source, this 100% ecological textile uses natural plant dyes, river mud, sunshine and honest labor. Mud silk involves a seasonal communal effort from May to October by artisans who spend the other months planting rice. It is still produced in the same region where those fishermen made their discovery.
The future of mud silk rests with enlightened people who understand the limited resources of our planet, appreciate the enchanting qualities of this rare cloth and poetry to be worn and treasured, mud silk offers living proof that tradition is timeless.
