Skin of the Moon- the Rise, Fall and Rise of the Dhaka muslin

Dhaka- the capital of Bangladesh has been the favorite of the fashion industry for a long time. But long before the fashion industry based itself in this city- it was famous for another fashion detail that has been forgotten for centuries- the Dhaka muslin fabric.

The Dhaka muslin fabric is said to have a thread count of 800- 1200 and is so fine it can pass through a ring. This feat is astonishing considering the lack of availability of technology and complex designs woven into the fabric. It was often called the ' Skin of the Moon'. Dhaka weavers followed a 16- step process using the seeds of the cotton plant Phuti Karpa.

But what led to the decline of the world's finest fabric, which at its peak was dearest in the 2000-year-old Egyptian era, Mughal reign, and Persia? The fabric that became popular with elites of the likes of Jane Austen and queen Marie Antoinette was controlled during British rule. Weavers were pushed to sell their crafts at lower prices and competition from British-made lower-quality muslin being sold further affected them. They further destroyed all evidence of the fabric at the Albert museum and most of the evidence of its making process, eventually destroying the industry.

Today, the finest muslin available ranges between the thread counts of 500-600- this with all the technology we have available today. Efforts are now being made by relevant authorities on the subject. It takes 4 weavers a month to produce 11 meters of the fabric, however, and the pay is not handsome. Furthermore, research scientists have found Phuti Karpa seeds stored in a preservatory at the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, UK, and sequenced its DNA to find a similar shrub in Bangladesh, eventually combining the thread with cotton to produce various products. India was a muslin superpower in the 1800s and the plan is to reverse the current situation.

Pic credit: https://ychef.files.bbci.co.uk/976x549/p099wlzg.jpg