| Base cloth | crepe-back satin (mulberry silk) base |
|---|---|
| Finish | yam juice + river mud process |
| Width | 114 cm width |
| Weight | 19 mm weight |
| Cutting | 1 m cut min |
Definition
Chou is the closed-weave branch of gambiered silk, usually thrown on a crepe-back satin. The satin face takes the mud black to a low, hard sheen while the crepe side keeps a matte grain, which is why one cloth reads differently on the outside and the inside.
Weight and a quiet surface are what buyers here are after: enough body to hang a seam without lining, and a sheen that stays low under shop lighting.
Handling before sewing
Cloth leaves us dry-finished, without a softener. Cut it after it has rested flat in the workroom for a day, and press from the matte side: heat on the mud face can lift the sheen unevenly and leave a shine where the iron rested.
What it does with wear
The black deepens and the hand softens over the first weeks of wear; creasing relaxes rather than creasing sharply. Friction at cuffs and bag lines lightens first, which is normal for a tannin colour built at the surface of the yarn.
All figures on this page are illustrative sample values, not measured specifications.
Will the black rub off onto lighter garments?
Expect some transfer on the first wears, most of it from the mud face against a light lining. Long-fibre lining and a first wash on its own limit it; a colour-fastness claim would not be honest for a cloth coloured this way.
Can I order one colour in several bolts?
Yes, and it is the usual way to protect shade consistency: one dyeing day, one lot, one lot number on the packing list. Lot numbers are how you keep two production runs matching.