Ramie, a vegetable fiber of antiquity, has until very recently been used almost exclusively in China and Japan. A highly lustrous fiber, in this respect surpassing linen, and very white, its use has been limited by the difficulty with which the fiber is removed from the surrounding woody tissue. Ramie has been used in combination with silk and cotton, its luster making it hard to distinguish when woven with silk, and adding richness when combined with cotton. Japanese and Chinese embroideries on this material have been common in the markets for some years, but only recently has ramie linen, by the piece, been sold in this country. As methods for producing the fiber are improved, more of it may be expected to appear on the market, and the shortage of European linen due to the war may give an impetus to the importation of ramie from the Orient.

At present, ramie is combined with cotton or linen or used alone in making dress materials.