India is the only country in the world that produces all four major types of natural silk commercially. Here is what each one is and when it belongs in your assortment.
When most people say "silk," they mean cultivated mulberry silk — the smooth, lustrous fabric made famous by China and now mass-produced globally. But India holds the rare distinction of being the only country that commercially produces all four major types of natural silk: mulberry, tussar, muga and eri. Each has a different story, a different feel and a different place in a wholesale assortment.
Where: Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu (cultivated)
Character: Smooth, lustrous, white-cream natural colour, takes dye uniformly
Best for: Pillowcases, sheets, charmeuse duvet covers, the modern silk bedroom
Mulberry silk is the world's default silk. The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is fed on a strict diet of mulberry leaves — the species is fully domesticated and no longer exists in the wild. The fibre is fine, long, even and bright, which is why mulberry silk dominates the global silk bedding market.
India produces roughly 60% of the world's mulberry silk supply, with Karnataka the dominant region. Most of our pillowcase, sheet and charmeuse duvet cover production sources here.
Where: Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh (semi-wild)
Character: Slubby, natural golden-honey colour, more matte than mulberry
Best for: Unstructured throws, hand-printed bedspreads, cushion covers with texture, "lived-in" designer bedrooms
Tussar (also spelled "tasar") is sometimes called "wild silk" because the silkworm feeds on the leaves of forest trees rather than cultivated mulberry. The fibre is shorter and coarser than mulberry, producing a textured, slubby weave with a natural warm-gold cast that takes dye in a more muted, vintage way.
Interior designers love tussar for its unfinished, lived-in character — it is the silk you reach for when mulberry feels too polished for the room.
Where: Only Assam (north-east India)
Character: Natural gold lustre that brightens with washing, exceptional durability
Best for: Heritage statement pieces, GI-tagged collections, the top of the assortment
Muga is one of the rarest silks in the world. It is produced only in Assam, India, by a silkworm that feeds on the Som and Sualu trees. Muga has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag — only silk produced in defined Assam districts may legally be sold as Muga.
Two extraordinary properties distinguish Muga: its natural golden colour does not need dye, and the fabric becomes brighter with each wash rather than dulling. Annual production is limited and prices reflect this. Our Muga workshop in Sualkuchi is one of our smallest by volume and one of our most prestigious by attribution.
Where: Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland (cultivated, peace silk)
Character: Wool-like hand, matte finish, naturally warm, off-white to light brown
Best for: Conscious-brand collections, throws, blended bedding, the sustainability-led assortment
Eri is sometimes called "peace silk" or "ahimsa silk" because the moth is allowed to emerge from the cocoon before the silk is reeled. The fibre is shorter than mulberry but the fabric has a warm, almost wool-like quality that is uncommon in silk — it feels closer to a fine cashmere than to charmeuse.
Eri is the obvious starting point for any private-label brand built on cruelty-free or ESG-led positioning. The supply is limited and prices are above mulberry; the story is the value.
Mulberry. Sheets, pillowcases, standard charmeuse duvet covers. The bulk of the silk bedding category lives here for good reason.
Tussar. The slubby texture and warm natural colour pair with interior-design moodboards that mulberry cannot match.
Muga. Limited runs, GI-tagged, exceptional story. The piece your top customer photographs.
Eri. The naturally cruelty-free silk. The right answer when a brand is making sustainability claims.
The term "wild silk" is used loosely in the trade. Strictly, Muga and Tussar are semi-cultivated — the silkworms feed on natural forest trees but their populations are managed by silk farmers. Truly wild silk (collected from naturally-occurring cocoons in forests) is a niche category and rarely enters wholesale supply chains.