Two silks, two journeys, two characters. When I come back from India with my trunks full of fabric, the question I hear most often in the showroom is always the same: "which one should I choose for my project?" Here is what I've learned, season after season, watching designers and artists work with both. « laquelle choisir pour mon projet ? » Voici ce que j’ai appris, saison après saison, en observant designers et artistes travailler ces deux matières.
Mulberry Silk: the classic, smooth and luminous
This is the silk people picture when they think "silk" — woven in family workshops where the gesture has been passed down since childhood. Its fibre is fine and continuous, giving it that particular sheen and silky, almost liquid hand-feel against the skin. It drapes with grace, catches the light, and lends itself beautifully to couture, precious linings, and pieces that need shine and fluidity.
On la choisit pour Choose it for: evening gowns, couture pieces that need drape, luxury linings, accessories meant to catch the light.
Eri Silk: the peace silk, matte and warm
It's called this because the moth flies away before the thread is spun — the cocoon is harvested once empty. This difference in process changes everything: the fibre is shorter, spun rather than continuously reeled, giving a matte, slightly irregular texture, almost cotton-like to the touch, with a more structured drape than Mulberry silk.
Choose it for: contemporary and minimalist pieces, interior decoration (it absorbs less light, ideal for wall hangings or cushions), projects that call for a noble but understated material, and for designers drawn to a practice that respects living creatures.
The real criterion for choosing
This isn't a hierarchy — Eri isn't a "lesser" Mulberry silk, it's its own material with its own language. The real question is your intention: are you looking for shine and fluidity, or matte texture and character? Event-driven couture, or a more contemplative piece?
In my showroom, I always have people touch both before deciding — no photo, no description ever replaces the hand resting on the fabric.
Working on a collection or project and torn between these two materials?Book a showroom appointment or discover Eri collection and Mulberry silk