What Makes Mulberry Silk Special? A Guide to Silk Quality, Momme & Craftsmanship

Silk has a way of revealing its quality before you ever read a label.

You feel it in the way it falls from the shoulders, the way light moves across its surface, and the quiet fluidity it brings to even the simplest silhouette.

Yet not all silk is intended to look or feel exactly the same. Weight, printing, finishing, and construction all influence the character of the finished piece.

At HanTrúc, those choices are part of the design.

What Is Mulberry Silk?

Mulberry silk is produced by silkworms raised primarily on mulberry leaves. It is prized for its smooth fibers, natural softness, subtle luminosity, and graceful drape.

For a shawl, those qualities matter.

The fabric needs enough fluidity to wrap naturally around the body while remaining light enough to style in different ways. It should catch the light without appearing overly glossy and feel beautiful directly against the skin.

Every HanTrúc shawl is crafted from 100% mulberry silk, but the collection intentionally uses different silk weights and finishing techniques to create different experiences.

What Does “Momme” Mean?

When describing silk, you will often see the word momme, sometimes abbreviated as mm.

Momme is a traditional measure of silk fabric weight. In simple terms, a higher momme generally indicates that more silk has been used to create the fabric.

But higher does not automatically mean better.

A lightweight silk can feel wonderfully airy and fluid, while a more substantial silk can provide greater body, richness, and presence.

The appropriate weight depends on what the designer wants the finished piece to do.

12 Momme: Lightness and Fluidity

Our Beginning and Resilience shawls are crafted from 12-momme mulberry silk.

Their lighter construction creates an exceptionally fluid drape and makes them easy to wrap, layer, and travel with.

There is an effortless quality to the way they move — something particularly suited to the quieter character of the first chapters of the HanTrúc journey.

16 Momme: A More Substantial Hand

For Serenity and Renewal, we chose 16-momme mulberry silk.

The additional weight gives these shawls a slightly more substantial hand while preserving the movement and softness expected of silk.

The result is a richer drape with enough presence to be worn as a generous shawl while remaining fluid around the body.

Neither weight was chosen simply because one is “more luxurious” than another.

They were selected because each supports the character of the design it carries.

Why Double Printing Matters

Serenity and Renewal are also double printed.

Rather than treating the reverse as simply the back of the fabric, double printing allows the design and color to have greater presence from either side.

That matters particularly with a large shawl.

Once wrapped around the shoulders, tied at the neck, or allowed to move naturally, both sides inevitably become visible. Double printing gives the piece greater versatility and helps maintain visual continuity as the silk moves.

The effect is subtle — but that is often where craftsmanship is most noticeable.

The Beauty of Hand-Rolled Edges

Serenity and Renewal are finished with hand-rolled edges.

The edge of the silk is delicately rolled and finished rather than simply being treated as a structural necessity.

On a shawl, the hem creates the final line around the entire composition, so the finish influences both how the piece looks and how it falls.

Because this work is completed by hand, slight variations are natural and are part of the character of the finished shawl.

Printing on Silk

Designing for silk requires a different approach than designing for paper or a static surface.

Silk moves.

It folds over itself. Portions disappear when wrapped around the body. Light changes the appearance of the color depending on the angle of the fabric.

For HanTrúc, this is why the placement of the bamboo is intentionally restrained.

Negative space gives the silk room to breathe, while branches, leaves, shoots, and small details appear and disappear depending on how the shawl is worn.

Even the gradients are part of that experience.

A HanTrúc shawl is not intended to reveal its entire composition at once. It changes as it is folded, wrapped, and lived in.

Four Chapters, Different Expressions

The four shawls were created as individual chapters of one larger journey.

Beginning carries the quiet possibility of taking a first step.

Resilience reflects the strength to continue.

Serenity represents the stillness that can emerge along the way.

Renewal speaks to growth, transformation, and beginning again.

The materials and construction evolve with those chapters, just as the bamboo does.

What remains constant is the intention behind them.

Quality Is More Than a Number

Silk quality cannot be reduced to momme alone.

Weight matters, but so do the quality of the finished fabric, printing, color, construction, hemming, drape, and — ultimately — how thoughtfully those elements work together.

For HanTrúc, craftsmanship is not about adding more for the sake of more.

It is about knowing when something is enough.

A considered weight.
A carefully placed branch.
A hand-finished edge.
Space left intentionally untouched.

Details that may appear quiet on their own become the character of the finished piece.

And that is perhaps what we love most about silk.

Its beauty does not need to announce itself.

Quiet luxury. Carry purpose.