A closer look

Fast fashion could never replicate the brutal, magnificent reality of genuine silk production. Tucked away in the Fergana Valley, the village of Margilan operates exactly as it did during the height of the Silk Road. Master weavers manually extract threads from boiling cauldrons of cocoons, creating the mesmerizing, violently colorful 'ikat' patterns that require a terrifying amount of patience and a complete disregard for the comfort of local caterpillars.