Peace Silk: What Is It?
Last year, while I was shooting the film Gods Behaving Badly, we needed a wedding dress for one of the scenes in the movie. Eco-friendly, vegan designer Lucy Tammam created this beautiful dress pictured above. It is so pretty and romantic. Sadly, Lucy’s dress didn’t make it into the film, but I hope to go to her shop next time I’m in London.
A Conscious Couturier
Traditional silk is made from the cocoons of silkworms. The cocoons are harvested before the silkworms emerge from them, so silk manufacturers gas or steam the silkworms to kill them before collecting the cocoons. According to PETA, 3,000 silkworms are killed to make every pound of silk.
Lucy has found a kind, cruelty-free alternative. At her atelier in London, she creates handcrafted couture made from various vintage fabrics and consciously sourced materials. One of the fabrics she uses is called “Peace Silk.”
Peace silk is woven by hand by fair trade producers in India. This cruelty-free silk is sourced from the cocoons of the wild Eri moth. The process does not involve touching or harming the moths, nor does it require keeping them in captivity. Rather their cocoons are collected from the forest after the moths emerge and fly away.
Give Peace Silk A Try
Lucy is offering a free cotton scarf to anyone who makes a purchase of £100 or more from Atelier Tammam. To receive your free scarf, note that you are a Kind Lifer in your payment details or email her to let her know that you found out about her through The Kind Life. She ships internationally and you can order online here, or if you live in London, visit her atelier at:
Atelier Tammam
5 Hastings Street
Bloomsbury
London
WC1H 9PZ
www.tammam.co.uk
Check out these kind sunglasses styles!
What do you think of Peace Silk?
Let's dicuss in the comments below.
14 comments
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amour vert is an eco fashion brand out of california, headed by parisian native linda balti. they have lovely peace silk + organic garments. -
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I believe there are also nonvegan foods that are cruelty free but what I'm wondering is why this silk maybe seen as acceptable by some vegans but not say, cage free eggs or cruelty free honey, etc? -
This is fantastic! I learned first-hand about non-peace silk while on my honeymoon. We were in Turkey and we visited an oriental rug store/factory. They showed us all the beautiful rugs, then took us in the back and showed us how they made them -- from cocoons to threads. I noticed that the cocoons that they were boiling and making into threads looked inhabited. I asked one of our guides if they were boiling the caterpillars alive inside their cocoons. He answered, with a chuckle, "Oh, no we gas them first." Many of the people on our tour chuckled as well when he said that. I was horrified! Needless to say, I did not by a rug there. -
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One doesn't have to go all the way to London to enjoy 'kind' silk; lots of US-based designers use peace silk in their creations. And peace silk isn't the only kind option; some designers upcycle re-claimed silk from old, unwanted dresses to create beautiful new dresses.
I would suggest that re-claiming/re-using fabric is another Kind option besides peace silk, because no new silkworms are harmed. In fact, re-claiming old silk honors the silkworms by extending the useful life of the fabric. Also, re-using is often a lot kinder to the earth than creating new materials, since creating new stuff (even kind fabric) uses up new resources in the manufacturing. -
That's great info, Alicia. I didn't know much about the process of silk-making before. The wild Eri moth, wow. I try not to harm any living creature. Have a good day, everyone, Miss Silverstone. -
This definitely is a better alternative! Part of being vegan for me was that I started to find animal products kinda icky. Personally, even if these worms are not harmed, I don't want to be wearing anything made from a bodily discharge, human, insect, animal, whatever! I think it's great though that for people who do want real silk, they can find something that doesn't harm an animal. Interesting post! -
I never knew the process of making silk before this! Thanks Alicia for teaching me so much! -
I love this format of posting a idea and then getting more people to chime in and discuss. This is fabulous I am learning everyday. At my age I am finding my way and I am new to transitioning to being a vegan. I like the idea of peace silk but I will as blackcatpratt research and get back to you on if it is truly cruel free. -
I'm not so sure this is "cruelty-free" - it's not as simple as it sounds. Better to do more research on the subject and decide for yourself. A couple of links I found interesting:
http://www.wormspit.com/peacesilk.htm (Disclosure - The author is not vegan or vegetarian, but he points out the "cruel" practices of the entire system.)
http://greenopedia.com/tidbits/cruelty-free-silk-fact-or-fiction/ -
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Dear Kind Lifers,
B. Matus designs is another wonderful company that specializes in hand dyed silks. Although I'm not sure that peace silk is used, I know that the most naturally sourced dyes are used. The pieces are stunning, handcrafted, and made in the United States! I absolutely love these kind silks, and I hope you all will as well! The website is, bmatus.com Enjoy!!
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