Antique Japanese Kimonos
Since the removal of Japan's isolationist policies at the end of the 19th century, non-Japanese have been fascinated by Japanese kimono. However, when buying kimono secondhand, it can be difficult to be sure that they really are genuine silk.
Kimono produced between 1900 and 1940 can be mistakenly labelled as being made from silk yet actually made from newly-invented rayon/viscose, or a combination of silk and rayon. Rayon began to be incorporated in kimono production in the early 20th century as "jinken" or "man-made/artificial silk" as kimono production switched for the first time towards a more mass-production and (nearly) ready-to-wear sales model.
While modern kimono that are not made from pure silk tend to include a garment tag with fibre composition information and washing and care instructions, this is relatively recent - dating from about the 1960s when polyester kimono began to be produced and marketed as washable, easy-care kimono.
Our extensive testing on kimono, kimono coats such as haori and michiyuki, obi, and other kimono-related items has revealed a variety of different fabric compositions. While most genuinely are pure silk, as marketed, we found some interesting and unexpected fibre and fabric combinations. For example, some garments may have a pure silk lining, but the outer layer is a synthetic or cellulose fibre, sometimes also combined with silk fibres.
Pure Silk Indian Sarees
Some sellers of silk garments are not aware of the true fibre composition of the items that they are selling. Sagitto encountered an example of this when we purchased a silk saree on-line from a reputable charity shop. The saree was described as follows: "This stunning antique silk sari material stretches over four metres in length and boasts a gorgeous floral motif. This item is in very good condition, and was generously donated to us with a $500 price tag still intact." It is indeed a stunning saree - however it is a mixture of silk and rayon/viscose, as our testing confirmed.
Indian Silk Mark
Silk Mark is a certification mark in India for silk textiles. The mark certifies that the textile which bears the mark is made of pure natural silk. Sagitto purchased a tussar silk scarf from a New Zealand charity store. The scarf had a Silk Mark tag attached. Although the serial number of this SilkMark tag could not be confirmed using the Silk Mark Organisation's on-line label authentication service and therefore is likely to be a fake, our testing confirmed that this scarf is indeed pure silk.
Authentic Chinese Cheongsam Qipao
"Purchased while in Hong Kong. Worn once, so excellent condition.Beautiful silky material, embroidered with dragon patterns." So read the description for this garment purchased from an on-line auction.
Our testing quickly established that this garment is made from 100% nylon, not silk. Although pretty, a tight-fittng garment made from nylon would be uncomfortable to wear in a warm and humid climate! Perhaps that was the reason the seller only wore this once?
Genuine Silk Rugs
Genuine silk rugs are highly prized and sell for thousands of dollars. Unfortunately this makes them susceptible to fraud. Sagitto's system can prove that they are genuinely made from silk, and not cheap substitutes such as polyester or rayon/viscose (also known as "bamboo silk")
Conclusion
No one wants to destructively test genuine pure silk garments or rugs, especially if they are antique or collectable. The combination of Sagitto's miniature near-infrared spectrometer, and our sophisticated machine learning models, now gives antique clothing collectors, museum textile curators, and manufacturers and buyers of high-end fashion garments the ideal solution: the capability to accurately and non-destructively identify the true fibre content of their collections of silk textiles, within a few seconds.
