Introduction: the ‘democratization’ of silk

From 1875–77 to 1927–9 the world consumption of raw silk increased by 5.5 times: in per capita terms it tripled in the four largest Western countries (United States, Great Britain, Germany and France), from about 50 grams to more than 150 grams. This increase exceeded that of any other natural fibre: in the same period, the consumption of cotton increased only 4.2 times, that of wool doubled and that of linen and hemp roughly halved. Moreover, as table 4.1 shows, the consumption of silk was the only one to grow steadily throughout the period.

Of course, the growth in the consumption of artificial fibres thwarted that of all the natural ones, silk included: the world production of rayon multiplied almost 300 times from 1896 (the beginning of the commercial production) to 1925–29. Rayon, though marketed under the tempting label of ‘artificial silk’, was not a real substitute for natural silk, except in secondary uses, such as the production of trimmings. Rayon cloths began to be produced in bulk only in the 1920s, and they competed mainly with those made of cotton and other natural fibres. Moreover, rayon was unsuited for the production of stockings, the consumption of which was soaring in the 1920s. Not until 1936, with the beginning of the commercial production of nylon, which was specifically designed to be used in the hosiery industry, was an artificial substitute for silk available. During the period considered in this book, the silk had no real competitors in the market for high-quality goods. If anything, it was the other way round.