Do You Know The Difference Between Mulberry And Tussah Silk And Why We Only Choose Dupion Cocoons For Our Silk Duvet?

Every top quality silk duvet starts from the healthiest and strongest silkworms.

The Silkworms : Mulberry Silkworm vs. Tussah Silkworm

Mulberry silk , also known as "Bombyx Mori", is the most fine and luxurious silk fiber  among the many kinds of silk. It is produced by the bombyx mori silkworms, a type of domesticated silkworms which are cultivated carefully by silkworm farmers and fed from only mulberry bushes. These silkworms are very delicate and will not survive if exposed to any pesticides or chemicals. It is the earliest animal fiber used by human beings, as well as the best silk fiber among all that is lightweight, soft, and breathable.

Mulberry silk has a natural sheen and presents a soft natural white in color. It requires no chemical bleaching during the process of making silk duvet, so it is pure natural and eco-friendly.  Its silky texture and skin-friendly property makes it the best choice for luxurious fabric for apparels and bedding.

Tussah silk or "shantung" is a type of wild silk. It comes from a type of wild silkworms that feed on oak and juniper leaves. These wild worms are not grown in a controlled environment and the moth hatched from the cocoon usually breaks the filament length of the fiber, making the tussah silk fiber short and coarse, not as silky smooth  as mulberry silk.

Due to their diet of oak leaves, tussah silkworms produce cocoons that are usually yellowish brown or grayish green.  During the manufacturing process of duvet making , chemicals are usually added to bleach and whiten the silk.

Tussah silk is quite lightweight and airy as mulberry silk, but much cheaper in cost than mulberry silk given its wild range of habitat and the quantity produced. It is tougher and coarser, but does not wrinkle easily and can tolerate a slightly rougher handle. Given these facts, tussah silk has been used by a lot of silk retailers or brands at a cheaper and more attractive price point. But more often, customers buy the tussah silk duvet under the perception of the duvet filling being pure mulberry silk, which can be a confusion and may result in disappointment in the purchase.

The Cocoons: Dupion vs. Regular

Dupion silk comes from dupion silk cocoons, or double cocoons where two silkworms spinning the cocoon in an interlocking manner, producing a much bigger and thicker cocoon compared to a single silkworm cocoon.

Due to the fact that dupion silk floss is actually two long strands of silk floss produced and weaved by two silkworms, it is hard to reel and make it not the ideal fiber to product silk fabric. However,  its thickness, strength and fluffiness makes it perfect for making premium quality mulberry silk duvet.  With a special technique of hand stretching and layering, dupion silk duvet is fluffier, thicker, more airy and stronger, and has a longer product life, making it the best quality of silk for mulberry silk duvet.

We believe that quality of the product speaks for itself. That is why we put every effort in finding the best quality material and manufacturing by our artisans with a traditional techniques that makes our products exquisite and sustainable. On every silk duvet we produce (except for the toddler size for safety purpose), there is a 50cm zipper on the edge for you to check the quality of our silk filling at any time. It is alanunu's promise to you that quality and safety matters to us as it matters to you.