Lotus silk (Burmese:ပိုးကြာချည် orBurmese:ကြာချည်,lit. 'lotus thread') is a type oftextile produced using delicatelotus stem fibers. The fabric first originated inMyanmar (Burma) and is now largely produced inSiem Reap,Cambodia.[1]Some small cottage workshops start experimenting inVietnam andIndia as well.[2][3] Due to the complexity and labor-intensive nature of weaving lotus fibers, lotus silk is considered one of the most expensive fabrics in the world.[2][4] Lotus silk uses fibres from a specificvariety of lotus calledpadonma kya (ပဒုမ္မာကြာ), which produces large, fragrant pink flowers.[5]
In Myanmar, lotus stems are sourced from lakes throughout Myanmar, includingShan State'sInle Lake,Sunye Lake inMandalay Region'sSintkaing Township; Inma Lake inBago Region'sThegon Township;Wetthe and Salin Natural Lakes inMagway Region's Salin Township; and Kandaunggyi Lake inSagaing Region'sTaze Township.[5]
In Cambodia, most of lotus stems are collected from the edge of theTonle Sap lake in Siem Reap.[6][7]
In Vietnam, lotus stems are sourced from the large lakes ofHanoi.[citation needed]
Lotus silk weaving originated inInle Lake in Myanmar'sShan State. Lotus weaving was invented by an ethnicIntha woman named Sa Oo in the village of Kyaingkhan in the early 1900s.[8][5] She first wove aBuddhist monastic robe using lotus fibers, calledkya thingan (ကြာသင်္ကန်း), as an offering to the abbot of a local monastery, and offered similar monastic robes to the principal Buddha images atPhaung Taw Oo Pagoda.[5] The tradition of robe-weaving has a long history in Myanmar; during theTazaungdaing festival, robe-weaving competitions are held throughout majorBurmese pagodas.
The weaving practice went extinct after her death, and was subsequently revived by her relatives, Tun Yee and Ohn Kyi, who began a cooperative to modernize and systematize the weaving practice.[5]
In 2017, Phan Thi Thuan, a weaver near Hanoi, introduced the weaving practice to Vietnam.[3] She has successfully researched and made lotus silk. To pull 25 kg of silk thread, she needs 100 tons of lotus stem.
In 2019,Bijiyashanti Tongbram fromManipur,India, began making lotus silk using lotus stems gathered from theLoktak Lake.[9]
Unlike real silk (aprotein fiber), but like most plant fibers, lotus silk is acellulose fiber. Its composed mostly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and contains higher amounts of lignin and hemicellulose than other common plant fibers.[10] It's hydrophobic,[11] and it reacts to various chemicals similarly to cotton fiber.[12] According to one study, lotus silkdensity of 1.1848 g/cm3 was lower than cotton, wool and silk, but comparable to acrylic.[13] Two studies foundlinear density of lotus silk to be 1.55 and 2.2dtex.[12][13]
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Lotus silk was first used to weave monastic robes as an offering to Buddha images or Buddhist monks, but is now also used for a variety of clothing types, including scarves and hats.[5]
Loro Piana, a luxury clothing company, has imported Burmese lotus silk to produce jackets and other clothing products since 2010.[14]
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