What is art silk? Artificial silk explained

What it is made from

Silk is a continuous natural filament, which is why it is so smooth and lustrous. Artificial silk copies that by producing a continuous filament in a factory. The first successful versions, in the late nineteenth century, were made from plant cellulose, and “artificial silk” was the ordinary trade name for what was later renamed rayon or viscose.

The term has since widened. In South Asian fabric markets it now covers almost any silk-look cloth that is not silk: viscose, polyester or a mixture, woven plain, as satin or with a jacquard pattern. Two art silk fabrics can therefore behave very differently, depending on which fibre sits underneath the name.

Art silk vs pure silk in wear

• Sheen: silk has a soft, shifting glow. Art silk is usually brighter and more even, and polyester versions can look glassy.
• Drape: viscose art silk hangs heavily and fluidly, much as silk does. Polyester art silk is lighter and springier.
• Comfort: silk and viscose both absorb moisture and feel pleasant on the skin. Polyester does not absorb, so it feels warmer in a crowded room.
• Strength: polyester is the toughest of the three. Viscose is weak when wet and needs gentle washing. Silk is strong for its fineness but dislikes sunlight and perspiration over time.
• Creasing: polyester resists creases. Viscose and silk both crease, viscose more.
• Care: polyester art silk usually washes at home. Viscose art silk and pure silk are often marked dry clean only.
• In the hand: crushed gently, silk warms quickly and often gives a faint dry rustle. Imitations mostly stay cool and silent.

Reading “art silk” on a suit label

Labels and product pages use silk words freely, so it helps to know what each one commits the seller to. If there is no composition line, ask. A seller can also burn a loose thread: silk smells of singed hair, viscose burns like paper, and polyester melts into a hard bead.

• Art silk, artificial silk: not silk. Expect viscose or polyester.
• Silk, with no composition: unproven. The word is often used for the look alone.
• Pure silk, with silk named in the composition: a real claim, which a careful seller will stand behind.
• Silk blend, cotton silk, raw silk: check the composition every time. Our guide to cotton silk and raw silk explains how loosely those names run, and how to read an unstitched suit label shows where the composition is printed.

Is art silk a bad choice?

No, as long as you know what you are buying. Good viscose art silk drapes beautifully and takes deep, clear colour, and polyester art silk is practical for outfits that will be worn, packed and washed without ceremony. Both give a silk-like outfit for an Eid dinner or a family gathering without the care that pure silk demands. The only real mistake is to treat one as the other: to wash viscose roughly, to press polyester with a hot iron, or to expect either to age like silk.

Stitching and caring for it

Art silk fabrics tend to be slippery and to fray, and many keep the marks of pins and unpicked seams, so they are cut carefully and the design is settled first. A lining helps a thin art silk kameez hang smoothly and protects it from perspiration. Press on the reverse at a low heat, through a cloth. Viscose can shrink, so read our article on viscose and rayon kurtas before washing one.

If you have an art silk suit to be made up, Stitching Only starts with photos of each piece and the label, and we confirm that the fabric suits your design before you send it. Tell us in your quote request what the label says, or that it says nothing.