Mulberry Silk Pillowcase – 22 Momme Grade 6A, Emerald Green

As seen inBritish Vogue · Tatler · Grazia

Wake with smoother hair and no pillow creases pressed into your cheek. This pillowcase is woven from 22-momme, Grade 6A mulberry silk — dense enough to feel like cloth rather than film, and cool against the skin all night.

The reason silk works is mechanical, not magical. Cotton grips: it catches hair at the cuticle and holds skin in a fold for hours, which is where overnight frizz and morning sleep lines come from. Silk lets both slide. It is also far less absorbent than cotton, so it draws less moisture from your skin — and less of whatever you applied before bed.

A deep emerald green, closer to the colour of a yew hedge than a jewel, it reads as quiet rather than bright in a bedroom.

Specification

• Fabric: 22 momme, Grade 6A mulberry silk — 100% silk on both faces
• Certification: OEKO-TEX® certified, tested free from harmful substances
• Closure: envelope — no zip to catch hair or skin
• Size: one pillowcase, standard / queen, 51 × 76 cm
• Care: machine washable on a delicate cycle in a mesh bag, or hand wash cool. Dry away from direct heat
• Packaging: arrives in a Silk & Bears gift box

Silk satin, and why it is not the same as satin

Satin is a weave, not a fibre — a structure in which the warp threads float over several wefts before dipping under one, which is what produces the smooth, light-catching face. That weave can be executed in almost any fibre. Most pillowcases sold as “satin” are polyester satin, and they cost around £10 for good reason: polyester is a plastic filament, it does not breathe, and it traps heat against your face all night.

This is the same satin weave, executed in mulberry silk. You get the smooth surface a satin pillowcase is bought for, plus what only a natural protein fibre gives you: it breathes, it regulates temperature rather than holding it, and it does not go clammy in summer. If you have tried a satin pillowcase and found it hot, that was the polyester, not the weave.

Why 22 momme, and why Grade 6A

Two numbers decide whether a silk pillowcase is worth its price. Momme is the density of the cloth: below 19 it feels thin and wears through quickly; 22 is where the better bedding sits. Grade 6A refers to the length and uniformity of the raw silk filament — the longest, most even fibres, which is what gives the surface its smoothness and keeps it from pilling.

A pillowcase carrying neither number on its label is usually avoiding the question. If you would like to know how to read a silk label properly, we explain it here: Habotai Silk vs Mulberry Silk.

Where it is made

Woven in Hangzhou, the historic silk capital of China, where the world's fine bedding silk is produced. Our hand-dyed scarves and dresses are made by artisans in Nha Xa, Vietnam — we source each piece where the craft for it lives. If you would prefer a Vietnamese-woven pillowcase, our Pearl White set from Nha Xa is handwoven on traditional looms.

Colours may vary slightly between screens and in different lighting.