FABRIC: CERANCHIA WILD SILK

Region: Madagascar

Fabric Name:
Ceranchia Wild Silk

Origin:
Ceranchia apollina

Who made our fabric:
Tanana, SEPALIM (Organization of Wild Silk Producers), Maroantsetra, Madagascar

Natural history and ecology:
The Wild Silk-making process begins with farmers who plant and cultivate native plants that will host the silkworms. The farmers rear silkworms on these host plants, using special nets to keep the caterpillars in range. Once the silkworms spin their cocoons, the farmers collect them, gently remove the pupae, and shelter them in rearing huts until they emerge as moths.

What makes this so special:

This wild silk comes from the Ceranchia apollina moths who live in the largest remaining rainforests of Madagascar. Ta’na’na works with farmers and artisans to conserve their livelihoods, reduce loss of biodiversity and restore vital habitats. They are promoting new sericulture industries that are providing a win win solution for communities and forests alike. Once the silkworms spin their cocoons, the farmers collect them, gently remove the pupae, and shelter them in rearing huts until they emerge as moths. Artisans then use these naturally golden cocoons to create a shimmery silk textile.

 

Found in the Northeastern Coastal Rainforests of Madagascar…

At a microscopic level, Wild Silk is porous. Each fiber has empty channels that run along the length of the fiber, which make it lighter weight than the silk from the domesticated silkworm.

"It makes me happy to see Madagascar move forward and to see people from abroad taking an interest in our development. Things that had no use to us here before now have meaning. The work of SEPALI has blossomed in this community." - Trozona, Village Elder and honorary CPALI member since 2009

The Process

  • This fabric is made from the whole cocoons of a silkmoth endemic to Madagascar, the Ceranchia apollina. This species has a unique cocoon known as a double cocoon, meaning it has an inner and outer layer. Both layers are golden and lustrous; the inner layer is dense and opaque while the outer layer has a looser, lacy weave.

    Pictured: Whole double cocoon, showing inner & outer layers.

  • The Wild Silk-making process begins with farmers who plant and cultivate native plants that will host the silkworms. The farmers rear silkworms on these host plants, using special nets to keep the caterpillars in range.

  • Once the silkworms spin their cocoons, the farmers collect them, gently remove the pupae, and shelter them in rearing huts until they emerge as moths. n goes here

  • The farmers deliver their cocoons to the Ta’na’na workshop, where the team of artisans sort and wash them before preparing them for sewing. Then, the cocoons are cut, ironed, and sewn together.

  • Thousands of cocoons are stitched together by hand to create Wild Silk textiles like the ones you see here. If desired, the textile can be dyed either before or after the cocoons are sewn together, depending on the product being made.

  • The Ceranchia apollina, commonly known as the Ghostly Silkmoth, is the wild silkmoth species that produced the cocoons used to make this textile. This species is endemic to Madagascar, meaning it’s found nowhere else in the world. There is little scientific literature on this moth, in fact, our teams' research has become the go-to source for those looking to learn more!

“I'm fascinated with the natural world and I have been grieving for over 20 years with the loss of native habitats and the extinction of the animals that I have worked with and loved.”


— Catherine Craig/Wild Silk Ceranchia

Catherine Craig

Catherine Craig is the founder and president of Conservation through Poverty Alleviation, International (CPALI), whose wild silk production techniques have evolved into what is known as Tanana Silk. Craig created her program after reviewing the efforts of conservation organizations and determining them to be ineffective because they failed to engage local populations in efforts to preserve species. With her background in farming, silks, insects and habitats, she took to Madagascar to put her wild silk farming plan into action. She researched extensively which silkworms were the most economically viable. By planting native trees in northeastern Madagascar, not only are the trees becoming host plants for endemic silkworms to create cocoons, which are later harvested, but she also is giving the farmers and artisans a way to earn a living wage. The collaborative process ensures the value and continued existence of the silkworks. The farmers can turn these cocoons into beautiful wild silk textile pieces that are sewn together by hand, and 100% of the profits go to the farmers and artisans.