fabric Habutai
Meaning ‘soft as down’ in Japanese, habotai is a lightweight and soft silk that was originally crafted for use in kimonos. The natural material is often compared to ‘China silk’, but it is slightly heavier and often left a natural ecru colour that embraces the slight imperfections in the silk yarns.
fabric Habutai
Meaning ‘soft as down’ in Japanese, habotai is a lightweight and soft silk that was originally crafted for use in kimonos. These days, the thin and cool material is woven for jacket linings, dresses, blouses, nightgowns and scarves because of its supple hand feel and smooth, plain weave.
Traditionally, habotai silk was made on hand looms in Japan. But as times have changed, so have the production methods – with most habotai made in factories in Japan, Korea and China. The natural material is often compared to ‘China silk’, but it’s slightly heavier and often left a natural ecru colour that embraces the slight imperfections in the silk yarns.
Made with unweighted raw silk, the shimmering material drapes softly and absorbs moisture, making it a comfortable choice for flowing, warm-weather garments that lay close to the skin.