Silk is prized not only for its sensual texture and glossy appearance, but for its incredible strength and tear resistance in a light-weight material. Unfortunately, natural silk production is extremely labor-intensive, hence very expensive. Not surprisingly, it was one of the earliest materials targeted for synthetic replacements by the emerging chemicals industry.

A number of competing processes were developed to transform cellulose directly into a silk-like fiber. Some of these have a texture similar to silk, but none of them can match the strength per weight of natural silk. Collectively, these synthetic fibers are called “rayon.” Rayon, and a variant material called “viscose” are still produced for clothing manufacture.

The other silk replacement attempt was developed at DuPont, and called “nylon,” which has the distinction of being the first long-chain polymer plastic. Nylon extruded as fiber and woven into textiles does not have the feel or appearance of silk, but does have its strength. Nylon became the fabric of choice for parachutes, which previously had been made from silk.

In what was perhaps the most brilliant marketing and self-promotional move of the 20^th century, DuPont's first nylon consumer product to be released was hosiery, aimed to compete directly with silk. I have never had a chance to touch natural silk hose, but the texture of nylon hose is apparently close enough, and the price is so much cheaper, that women went for it in droves.

It was also found that nylon could be molded to produce parts that are light in weight but high in strength. In the fashion industry, nylon was used to make…{you’ll love this}…stiletto heels.

Roger Vivier is often (mis)credited with inventing stilettos, but he only popularized them in the ’50’s by choosing the silhouette to go with Christian Dior’s “New Look.” Fashion historians seem to be divided as to whether is was Salvatore Ferragamo or Andre Perugia who first developed a wearable stiletto-heel shoe (in the ’30’s or ’40’s), but it was nylon that first made it possible for them to be mass produced.