This lead to the Chinese silk industry, which is still in place today. The methods of Silk production were kept secret by the Chinese for several centuries. Later development of the Silk Road trade route brought silk to other countries. In Italy, Julius Caesar was so fond of this incredible fabric that he allowed it to be worn only by himself and certain favored officials. In Persia, where they did not yet understand the art of silk production, they would take apart the Chinese silks and reweave then into their own designs. India and Japan became two of the first countries to compete with China for the silk market.

Over the centuries, silk production moved throughout Europe as well as Great Britain and North America, but China is currently still the largest producer of silk. Some other major producers of silk are Japan, India and Brazil.