Tussah

While most silk fabrics are made from cultivated moths, tussah is wild silk, used to make various fabrics (including pongee). Most notably it is made into a tussah cloth which is coarse and very textured (with thick and uneven weft), and found in a range of natural colors.

The domesticated silk moth is from the family Bombyx mori, while wild silk comes from the cocoons of moths mostly of the family Saturniidae. Unlike the domestic variety, the wild silkworms emerge from their cocoons as moths, breaking the cocoons so that the filaments generally can’t be reeled. Instead the yarn is often spun from shorter fibers.

The name tussah is derived from the Sanskrit word for “shuttle.”

Uses: Jackets, suits, dresses, household uses

See also:
Silk
Doupioni silk
Pongee
Shantung
Thai silk