Silk is yet another item that requires attention from people following a vegan lifestyle.
Barely a century ago, well-dressed women could hardly avoid silk. No other fiber could be woven into such a sheer fabric. For more than a century prior to World War II, most affluent Western women owned multiple pairs of silk stockings. In the East, Japanese women wore silk kimonos and Indian women wore silk saris. The Chinese, who first spun silk fibers into fabric 5000 years ago, used this material exclusively for royal garments.
But the invention of nylon in 1938 and the introduction of other modern textiles have given us excellent vegan silk alternatives. No longer does silk offer unique properties. We now have multiple fabrics that are sheerer, stronger, and much cheaper than silk. So, while silk is still common today, it’s now relatively easy to avoid.
Is Silk Vegan?
Silk fibers are produced by silkworms, which are actually not worms but caterpillars, for their cocoons. These cocoons—along with the metamorphosing caterpillar inside—are boiled and then processed into silk threads and fabrics.
Since it comes from caterpillars, silk is clearly not vegan. And while caterpillars are relatively simple animals, they do (unlike bivalves) possess central nervous systems. This suggests that caterpillars have at least some capacity to suffer. If that’s the case, silk production entails animal exploitation and perhaps substantial suffering.
Alternatives to Silk
Silk’s importance as a fabric has diminished as modern fibers like nylon, rayon, and polyester have substantially eaten into silk’s share of the clothing market. Rayon in particular closely matches the look and feel of silk. Only an expert tailor or seamstress could tell the difference between samples of rayon and silk.
Despite the emergence of modern fabrics, men’s suits and neckties are still often made from silk. It also shows up in fancier shirts, dresses, and sweaters frequently enough that you should always check the label. Fortunately, you’ll find no shortage of apparel woven from rayon or synthetic fibers.
