Join Us in France · Sunday, August 16, 2026
Lyon's history is deeply intertwined with silk production, dating back to early French kings and evolving with the invention of the Jacquard machine. Mikayla Sibner explains that the tall ceilings in the Croix-Rousse neighborhood were designed to accommodate these machines and the workers who lived and worked in the same space. While artisanal silk is now expensive (€1,500 for a scarf), much of the silk sold in shops originates from China.
“But then in Lyon you have the invention of the Jacquard machine, which is one that sits on top of a normal loom and makes it four meters high, and that explains why so many buildings that were built in the Croix-Rousse area, neighborhood of Lyon, had to have very high ceilings.”
“Yes, and it was to house not only the machine, which is extremely tall to make the very specific patterns, right? But it was also to house the workers. So the workers lived and worked. They were already doing télétravail.”
“And one of the strange things they said is that if you buy any here at the shop, you're buying silk from China. Oh, no.”