Price dropping and production centres abandoned. The Republic of Korea s fall was even more dramatic, from 1343 tons in 1988 to 110 tons in 1997. Silk production is declining steadily in Brazil, hampered by its dependency on Japan. With the sandwashed silk boom over and continued competition from other fibres, silk consumption is down. Silk producers in Asia, such as India and Thailand, remain significant consumers.
Japan is still the largest consumer of silk and silk products.
In China and Viet Nam, consumption is growing. Yet the overall regional consumption is down, the pace slowed by Asian recession, and by European processors opting for competing fibres. Virtually no global generic silk promotion activities remain. Silk has been linked with sought-after creations by the biggest names in haute couture. Yet, many admirers of spectacular garments shown on the catwalks of London, Milan, New York and Paris are unaware of the modest origins of this illustrious textile.