Our new collection of merino wool/silk products for children and babies has just come online – and we are quite thrilled ourselves, to be frank. The material is light and airy, just perfect for the hot summer most of us are hoping for.
If you ask us, merino wool/silk is the obvious choice for your child’s summer wardrobe, as the material is thin and has the most amazing, natural abilities.
BREATHABLE
Organic merino wool and silk are both natural materials that let the skin breathe and provide great ventilation.
THERMOREGULATING
When you dress your child in merino wool/silk, you can be confident the clothes will help your child maintain a comfortable temperature both night and day.
MOISTURE ABSORBENT
Merino wool can absorb up to 33% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. This means your child can sweat during playtime or sleep without becoming wet and cold as a result.
UV PROTECTION
Naturally, you should always follow the three S’s: Shadow, Sunhat, Sunscreen – but a thin layer of wool on the body is a great supplement, as wool has a naturally high sun protection factor.
Production of silk
At DILLING, we have produced and sold wool/silk blend products for years. Especially in Germany, this quality is in high demand. After years of hard work, we have now succeeded at exchanging conventional wool with organic wool, whilst maintaining its high quality. This change has been possible because in the production unit we have worked continuously to develop and optimise the fabric.
In terms of silk, we are aware of the ongoing discussion about whether silk is retrieved in an ethically correct manner. For our silk products, we use Chinese mulberry silk, which is produced from silkworms’ cocoons. In order to produce a long, high quality thread, the cocoons are boiled with the silkworms inside. It would not be possible to produce silk with the same high quality if the moth was able to chew its way out first as the thread would break into lots of short threads. This is why this method is used. Silkworms are a delicacy in China and are thus eaten by the local people afterward – just as the sheep in the wool industry are after they have been slaughtered.
Is it then unethical to use Mulberry silk? The silkworm is boiled, and even though we assume it dies instantly, we have not been able to find any studies that examine this topic. There are scientists looking into whether or not insects can even feel pain, but there is no final answer to this question yet either. At DILLING, we have decided to offer wool/silk, as we have been for years, as without knowing for certain, we assume the silkworm dies instantly. Since it has been suggested that insects might be a vital and sustainable part of our nutrition in the future, we expect this issue will get more attention. At DILLING, we have initiated a process we hope will produce a wool/silk quality where there can be absolutely no doubt about the welfare of the silkworm. Similarly to our change from conventional wool to organic wool, we hope we will succeed here too. It is important for us to be honest about how we produce our products so that you, our customer, can make an informed decision.
