From Agriculture to Culture (Part 2)
For centuries, silk provided income for rural families across Georgia. Today, after decades of decline, a small but determined group of women is breathing new life into this tradition. One of them is Christine Longishvili, who has transformed her family silk-making heritage into a creative business.
Like many families in Kakheti, Christine's family raised silkworms together. During the 40-day rearing period, the worms require constant care and feeding, making it a true family effort. Women traditionally oversee the rearing process, while men gather mulberry leaves, and children and older family members help feed the worms, clean the trays and harvest the cocoons.
“Silkworm rearing reminds me of the time I spent with my mum. It feels like going back to my roots,” she says.
Christine left Georgia for Italy, where she lived and worked for 12 years. Her passion for handicrafts helped her cope with homesickness. She sewed handbags, embroidered textiles and sold them locally, while maintaining ties with Georgia by making traditional Tushetian toys and souvenirs for hotels in Tusheti.
After returning home, Christine decided to combine the skills she had acquired abroad with her family's silk-making tradition.
“Many women involved in silkworm rearing sell their cocoons. I sell some for income and keep the rest. In Italy I worked with merino wool, and after returning to Georgia I wanted to work with silk as well. I thought, why not combine the two materials and create cloaks, scarves and other accessories? I think they turned out quite well,” she says.
Christine is constantly looking for new techniques. Before leaving for Italy, she studied textile art at Aisi Vocational College. While abroad, she learned shibori, the traditional Japanese fabric-dyeing technique, and soutache, an embroidery technique widely used in jewellery making. Today, she is enrolled in a six-month Creative Business course at the Design Institute while continuing to expand her skills through workshops organized by the Georgian Silk Association in cooperation with the State Silk Museum.
The State Silk Museum preserves centuries of Georgia's silk-making heritage, from household production and imperial workshops to the industrial-scale industry of the Soviet era. Through the EU-funded Horizon Europe ARACNE project (2023–2026), the museum has organized a series of practical workshops for silk producers from across Georgia. Participants learned traditional silk spinning, natural dyeing, eco-printing, embroidery and other techniques that help transform raw silk into higher-value products.
“From agriculture to culture is the road to silk,” says the museum's director, Nino Kuprava. “It was inspiring to work with participants from different regions of Georgia. We designed the workshops tailored to their needs so they could not only learn traditional techniques but also develop as entrepreneurs. At the same time, we want to inspire younger generations, both in the regions and in Tbilisi, to appreciate Georgia's rich silk heritage and carry it forward. Turning a cocoon into thread and then into textile is more than a craft, it is an achievement of mankind.”
The museum also helped organize the Silk Festival in Akhmeta, where workshop participants showcased their products, exchanged ideas and built new connections. For many, it was the first opportunity to present their work not simply as handicrafts, but as the foundation of emerging businesses.
Reviving sericulture is more than preserving a traditional craft. It is about safeguarding knowledge, creating new opportunities in rural communities and giving fresh purpose to a centuries-old tradition.
To help ensure that the revival continues, the Alliances Caucasus Project (ALCP2) supported the establishment of the Georgian Silk Association, which has become a hub for rural silk producers across Georgia. The association provides access to training, silkworm eggs and technical knowledge, while helping producers connect with one another, the private sector and new markets.
The ALCP2 is implemented by Mercy Corps with financial support from Switzerland, Austria and Sweden.