Known for its luxurious sheen and softness, silk is a natural fibre that is also very durable and resilient, meaning that it will last you for years when you take good care of it. Investing in some quality silk essentials is a great way to upgrade your wardrobe, but before you go out and spend your hard-earned money on a piece of luxury clothing you should understand that not all silks are created equal. If you have some personal experience handling silk you may have noticed that some silk fabrics feel more substantial to the touch than others. This feeling largely comes down to the momme count.
What is silk momme?
Silk momme (mm) is a measurement that is used to determine the quality and value of silk fabric. Think about how we use thread count to measure the quality of cotton sheets - silk momme serves the same purpose, only instead of thread count, we use weight to determine the quality.
Momme is a Japanese measurement used to calculate the weight of silk fabric. One momme = 4.34 gram per square meter; 8 momme is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.
Identifying the quality
When you shop for your silk essentials, it's important to choose a silk that fits your purpose. The heavier the momme count, the higher the quality; this means a more durable weave that will last and keep beautiful for years.
The momme count also determines the opaqueness of silk, meaning that a higher momme will result in a less see-through fabric. The opaqueness of silk, is also determined by how the fabric is woven, e.g. a satin weave being more opaque than unwashed crêpe de chine weave.
Generally, the fashion industry produce lightweight silk garments, but it can be preferable for you to invest in medium-weight silk garments, if you want to be able to enjoy your pieces for a long time. Heavyweight silks are usually reserved for furniture and curtains, as they can be quite heavy on the body.
Silk below 20 momme is considered lightweight, silk between 20-28 momme is considered medium-weight, and silk above 28 is considered heavyweight. Naturally, the higher the momme count is, the more costly the fabrics are to produce, so it's needless to say that a garment made from a high-quality silk will be an investment in your wardrobe.
Which momme count does Brooks & Koola use?
Brooks & Koola garments are made from medium-weight silk. The crêpe de chine used is 23 momme pure silk, and the satin used it 25 momme pure mulberry silk.
I hope this shopper's guide to understanding silk momme helps you make the right choice for your needs when it comes to investing in silk clothing, and that you now know how to pick the best qualities for your wardrobe through silk momme.