Grade 6A. 19 momme. These numbers appear on silk listings everywhere. Almost nobody explains what they actually mean.
Here's what they actually mean.
1. The 6A Grade
Grade 6A is widely used. Few people know what it actually means.
Think of silk fibre the way you think about human hair. Lower grades suffer from what the industry calls Neps. Think of them as the silk equivalent of frizz. Combined with frequent breaks along the fibre, these aren't just aesthetic flaws. They are manufacturing liabilities.
When these fibres are woven into fabric, the imperfections don't disappear. They show up as uneven surfaces and inconsistent texture. During dyeing, this shows up as white spots and uneven colour. The dye simply won't take.
Grade 6A fibres are exceptionally long and uniform. No weak points. No inconsistency. When woven, they produce a completely even surface. Smooth, deeply saturated, consistent from edge to edge. The kind of surface that catches light cleanly and holds its finish wash after wash.
For a bonnet, this matters beyond aesthetics. A uniform surface means uniform contact with your hair. Every part of the fabric behaves the same way. No rough patches. No variation. Consistent, smooth contact across every centimetre. All night.
Grade 6A is not a marketing term. It is a fibre standard. You can feel the difference.
2. The Momme Weight
Momme is the unit used to measure silk density. The higher the number the more silk is in the fabric. More threads per inch. More substance. More durability.
Heavier is not always better. The right momme weight depends entirely on what the fabric needs to do.
12 to 14 momme silk is light and ethereal. Beautiful for scarves and wraps that need to float. For overnight hair protection, it lacks the substance needed for consistent contact.
16 to 18 momme gives the fabric real body. This is the weight that produces a crisp, structured drape. Better for hair protection, but still on the lighter side for extended overnight wear.
19 momme and above is what we use at MULSKA. This is what the industry calls heavy silk. It has a muted, pearlescent lustre. It is durable — built to last years, not months. It has the density to stay in contact with your hair all night. No shifting. No bunching.
19 momme is not the lightest option. It is not meant to be. It is the weight that performs.
3. Consistency — The Part Nobody Talks About
Anyone can produce one beautiful piece of silk. The real test is whether the thousandth piece matches the first.
High-end silk requires pre-shrinking and dimensional stability finishing. These processes ensure the fabric behaves the same after washing as it did on day one. Silk that shrinks, warps or loses its structure after a few washes isn't luxury silk. Regardless of what grade it started as.
At MULSKA, we use natural protein finishing. Chemical coatings feel smooth when new. They degrade with washing. Protein finishing works with the silk's own structure. It preserves its natural memory. The bonnet gets softer with wear. It doesn't lose its shape or finish.
Some silk performs on the listing. Ours performs five years later.
4. Certification — Transparency as a Standard
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification means independent testing and verification. Every dye, every finishing agent, every component assessed against over 100 restricted substances — phthalates, heavy metals, formaldehyde among them.
It is not a marketing badge. It is third-party proof that what touches your skin while you sleep meets a defined safety standard. You shouldn't have to take anyone's word for it.
Responsible production isn't a trend. It's a baseline. For us it's non-negotiable.
A final thought.
Luxury isn't what's visible on the shelf. It's the feeling of the fabric five years later. The way it softens with wear. Holds its finish. Performs exactly as it did the first night you wore it.
It starts with a deliberate choice about what goes into the fabric before it ever reaches you.
Grade 6A. 19 momme. OEKO-TEX certified. These are the decisions we made before we made anything else.