This operation runs 24 hours a day 365 days a year, with a six hour break on Sundays between 12noon and 6pm. In a given day the company produces around 3000 metres of silk, and upto 100,000 metres a month. A little fact about Surat for you is that it is the largest textile producer in India, producing daily 30million metres of fabric (officially), 20% of this goes to export.
As the owner of this business is a family friend (Rushi), I was given the fortunate opportunity of being shown around the factory, and, it was explained step-by-step what happens right from the imported cocoons from China to the bundled, weighed and measured fabric going out of the door to the customer.
The processes involved are intricate and the skill that goes into the production of one run of silk is amazing. Did you know that the crepe effect you get with silk is achieved by twisting alternate threads clockwise and anti-clockwise? The workers are very talented and hard working, i found the production of silk to be a much more 'arty' type of work.
Another interesting point was made to me, that is referred to as the 'burn test'. It's pretty self explanatory really, and involves a sample of the fabric and well, a flame. The point to this exercise is to determine what the fabric composes of.
Silk; when burned smells almost identical to if you burned one of your own hairs.
Cotton; this fabric if burned smells like burning paper.
Polyester; this synthetic material will shrivel and burn back into a black globule.
Nylon; when this man-made fibre is burned it will shrivel up and walk off like an Egyptian, (no turns white).
So when faced with an unknown fabric you can use this little test to determine what it comprises of.
