Silk to be lawful for men to wear, but the dominant opinion of most Muslim scholars is that the wearing of silk by men is forbidden. Modern attire has raised a number of issues, including, for instance, the permissibility of wearing silk neckties, which are masculine articles of clothing. Despite injunctions against silk for men, silk has retained its popularity in the Islamic world because of its permissibility for women, and due to the presence of non-Muslim communities. The Muslim Moors brought silk with them to Spain during their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Italy was the most important producer of
Lehigh Valley Silk Mills Pennsylvania. It was at this time that the R&H Simon Company constructed buildings along 13th Street, Easton. At the start, the company had a workforce of 250 people. The facility expanded in 1899 by increasing its workforce to 1,060. The mill eventually employed 1,200 workers and included 1,500 pieces of machinery. The R&H Simon Silk Company was the largest producer of black silk ribbon in the world and at one point in time employed up to 2,000 workers at its Easton plant. The deaths of Robert Simon and Herman Simon in 1901 marshalled in a trans-formative period for the company.