What is behind the 100% Silk?

When people have a plan to buy a silk tie, they can either go to men's store or simply click online. They could find a confused phenomenon: even all labeled with 100% silk content tag, it has a wide price range from $5 to over $70. What is behind the scene of 100% silk? The following price-determined factors would show you the answer. Brand NameBrand name is one of the most important factors for the price. If luxury brand names are considered, the price could be over $70 or way more. It is really difficult to weigh the brand factor exactly and more personal preference in it. Because most of the silk ties are within the range of $5 - $70, those silk neckties are the focus of our discussion. Production OriginTwo largest production bases are Italy and China. Italy is famous for its excellent design and China provides a larger proportion of silk ties in the world with a cheaper price. With the widely use of high end fabric woven machine, there is not much difference on the quality from both countries. Some larger silk tie manufacturers in China cooperate with Italian silk tie design studio so silk ties are a global product now. Fabric Thread DensityIn the current silk tie market, you could find three thread densities: 960, 1200, and more. Most high quality silk ties are 1200 or more. The less density has a loose fabric feel so it can be identified by a hand touch. Pricewise, it is cheaper with a lower density.InlayInlay is the fabric wrapped inside the outer silk. It makes a tie heavier and drape well. Two main inlay fabrics are polyester and wool. Polyester is more widely used for its durability and cheaper price. The inlay fabric cannot be read through the fabric tag. LiningLining is the backside of the silk ties for both large end and small end. Those fabrics can be the same silk fabric as the front face or polyester. As you know, the former is a little more expensive. ColoringSilk ties can be classified into two categories based on the coloring methods: printed and woven. The printed silk tie means that the patterns are printed onto the raw silk fabric with screen-printing. Each color must have a separate screen printed. More colorful patterns, more printing work and more cost. So the solid color printed silk tie is cheaper than the others. The woven silk tie comes from the weaving process through warp and weft. The woven threads have pre-dyed colors so that any patterns can be produced from striped to parsley. The pattern can be designed with professional software and woven by a computer-controlled weaving machine.The silk tie manufacture process is becoming more mature with the mass production development. Usually, the brand name silk ties, not luxury one, are around $70. The same quality without famous brand costs you around $30 to $40 in the department store. The same quality made in Italy is usually $10 more expensive than the one made in China. Online shopping will save you at least $10 with the same silk tie. If you are serious about the quality of your neckties, don't consider the silk ties under $10 unless they are really good deals.