Sustainable silk fashion | DW Documentary

Farmers in Switzerland have revived an old local tradition of silk production. First, they had to get reacquainted with breeding silkworms and growing mulberry trees for them to feed on.

Ueli Ramseier, co-founder of the ‘Swiss Silk’ association, breeds silkworms so that silk can be produced again in Switzerland. He started out breeding them in his bathroom, recently switching to his garage. This domesticated breed cannot live in the wild; it depends entirely on human care. Ueli Ramseier now has 12,000 silkworms. He supplies not only fashion companies but also medical firms with his silk thread.

In 2019, fashion designer Rafael Kouto won the Swiss Design Award for his collection, designed using sustainable Swiss silk. For the silk farmer Ueli Ramseier, it’s more than just a business idea. He wanted to demonstrate how to avoid the huge carbon footprint caused by silk imports from China, thousands of miles away. His goal is to convince more people to breed silkworms in Switzerland to make locally produced, sustainable fashion.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #switzerland #fashion #silk
______

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to:

[sengnumai]

I appreciate how they care so much about sustainable environment and take a lot of concern about it. They do not only work for money, also care the whole planet.

[higherconsciousness]

seriously how do you do it dw!, i never even imagined watching anything related to silk worms, and non the less enjoy watching it, amazing production quality, and an amazing story to tell, bravo!

[junebee]

Interesting… I love silk! It’s the main material I wear for tops. I found most of my clothes second hand… you can find silk shirts/ clothing inexpensive this way… it’s pretty pricey new.

[danubiomuller]

Somehow I had hope that they would be able to retrieve the silk without killing the moth.

[amosicronery]

It is great to watch. After watching this video, I wish to create Switzerland silk farm in Njombe.The conditions is favorable. We have mulberry trees but no silk worms

[Renobon]

Great Documentary! Seeing from Brazil, to improve my English and learn more, with the best DW Channel!

[ivyimogene]

Indian silk sarees are so special. We have so many designs like Kancheevaram silk, Mysore silk, Banarasi silk, Pochampalli silk, Arani silk etc.

[firstlast-cseg]

Please show/tell where they get the next generation of silk worms. Obviously some must be allowed to turn into moths to mate and lay eggs. But I did not see any mention of this. Do they just keep importing eggs from somewhere? If so, where?

[GSSurry]

I have hearing impairment and the background music makes it impossible to watch this video

[hujiaming]

Getting them onto a wooden structure to make cocoons might be wrong, silk worms don't like getting high, they should just reduce the head count of worms in one pen, then they will start cocooning inside the pen themselves, such is their own nature, following the nature's way is always most beneficial.

[mohammedsaysrashid]

Too nice documentary video👍🏻👍🏻🙏🙏 about bold, smart & beneficial attempts for Producing natural silks in artificial field laboratories..this video showed cooperating between smart thinking, Scientific agricultural techniques processing that subduing impossible probability through this amazing Projects far from its famous known area ( China 🇨🇳) ..DW always introduces interesting, informative documentaries

[RRRSSS]

To make silk, no need to kill warms. Tree bark, peanut shells, coconut shells all can be used to make beautiful silk.

[Maria-EU]

Thank you for spreading light on the fashion industry! I would like to see you talk about the animal suffering that producing fashion entails though. Animals being raised just to be killed and made into clothing, shoes and accessories. LVMH even has its own reptile farm to raise those animals to be killed "in more humane conditions" in stead of stopping the sale of exotic leather all together.

[somaghosh]

Silk Fashion a very large market all over World.

[Sakda.]

Sustainable silk in Cambodia is so good with traditional handmade that happened a long time ago.

[eddu]

Interesting...., so if they kill the moth, where do they get the eggs from? What happens to the caterpillars once they coil the silk?
I'd love to know how the decoiler works

[Oisin]

Nice video but the pacing and editing was a bit messy sometimes

[linhvo-gflj]

😂 he breed silkworm in his bathroom ❤ first then garage next so inspiring, no I am serious he have good intention, good man

[ArtUAll]

Oh my!….
The beauty surrounding Janek’ farm is breathtaking….
People returning to small farming and crafts of all sorts seems to be the way of staying from pesticides and long hauling. Other countries also started supporting thousand-year old crafts that MAYBE could have been automated, but why automate? - let people be engaged, occupied, satisfied, making a living, respectful of the environment. Economies of scale have killed off towns and communities when those “scales” had to be closed and moved elsewhere, leaving thousands of people unemployed, not re-trainable and desponded 😢

[worldfoxtravel]

I did it in Thailand when I was little… I remember I hate it 😂😂😂… but from what I remember it’s yellow color…