Artificial silk

[3] In the 1910s and 1920s, several manufacturers of viscose competed in Europe and the United States to produce what was frequently called artificial silk.

[4] In 1931, Henry Ford hired chemists Robert Boyer and Frank Calvert to produce artificial silk made with soybean fibers.

Although nylon is not a good substitute for silk fabric in appearance, it is a successful functional alternative.

DuPont's original plans for nylon to become a cheaper and superior replacement for silk stockings[5] were soon realized,[6] then redirected for military use[7][8] just two years later during World War II.

Nylon became a prominent industrial fiber in a short time frame, permanently replacing silk in many applications.