Silk Scarves – When They Say ‘Handmade’, Is That What They Really Mean?

Not surprisingly, goods which are marked as ‘handmade’ typically sell for higher prices than those which are factory-produced. Without the economies of scale that mass-production merchants can benefit from, and because handmade goods require high levels of creativity and expertise and considerably more time to produce, they simply cannot be made as cheaply. Sometimes, however, goods which only involve a craftsman or woman in a tiny part of the production process can still sell for high prices, and one example of this relates to some of the designer silk scarves which can be found in many department stores.

Designer silk scarves are quite often hand-stitched and, if you look closely at the label, this should be stated. What this means, in effect, is simply that the stitching around the outside of the scarf has been done by hand, something which takes a competent employee no more than a few minutes to do. Unless the label states otherwise, however, the rest of the scarf has been made using standard factory-production techniques and the design on the item has been printed.

These types of scarves are something very different to the handmade silk scarves which are produced by reputable companies. In the case of the latter, the whole of the process of turning a piece of 100% pure silk into a scarf is one which is carried out by an expert craftsman or woman.

The technique for producing handmade silk scarves, as well as hand-dyed shawls, begins with the creation of a unique design. In some cases the designer will sketch the design first and then create it directly on the fabric, whilst in others they will use a full-sized template of the design and effectively trace it on to the silk. In either case, the fabric will first of all be stretched across a wooden frame and secured with special silk tacks to keep it taut, and then all of the internal and external borders of the design will be created using either cold wax or another type of product which acts as a barrier to the dyes which are then introduced.

The process of coloring the fabric is once again one which is done entirely by hand. The artist uses a paintbrush to work within each of the borders created and, in this way, the complete design is built up. As the dye is introduced, it flows into the silk and spreads until it reaches the wax borders, where it stops, and of course the artist can also create a range of different effects as he/she works. Once the main part of the design has been completed, the background is also colored and then, once dry, the finished piece is steamed to remove the wax and seal the color, and washed to remove any excess dye.

Clearly, this method of creating silk scarves and shawls is worlds apart from the mass-production techniques which go into making the designer labeled equivalents. Despite all the care and attention which goes into the handmade ones, however, in many cases they still sell for an equivalent price, if not less.

Julie-Ann.

September 18, 2010 • 12:53 pm

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