The Han Dynasty in China formalized its trade network to export silk westward by 100 BCE. The routes were collectively known as the Silk Road. Silk cultivation spread across Asia and the Middle East. By the 1200s, European traders regularly imported expensive, handwoven satins, velvets, damasks, and brocades from the Far and Middle East.
Silk weaving also spread to Europe. By the mid-18th century, France, England, and Italy led production, supplementing imports from Asia. Silk textiles signified wealth and aristocratic rank within royal court circles as well as the Catholic Church. Western motifs began to predominate, but Europe’s recurring Orientalist obsession continually referenced Asia’s influence on fashionable silk textiles.