Becky Striepe
Finding sustainable, waterproof fabric can be tricky. Even recycled synthetics contain quite a bit of new plastic in addition to the recycled content. That’s why I was super excited to learn about a brand new waterproof fabric made from lotus flower stems. The fabric is a blend of lotus flower fibers and silk, and it’s sustainable and waterproof!
The coolest part about this fabric? Not only is it beautiful and water resistant but the company that’s producing it is creating jobs for women in Cambodia to help support their families! According to Leena Oijala at EcoSalon:
Recognized as an old Burmese tradition, lotus fabric weaving was brought to village of Kyaing-kan in 2009 by Awen Delavel, a French designer and founder of eco-fashion label Samatoa. He has been working with local women in order to provide them with the skills to produce the fabric and create a local economy that they can rely and make wages on.
The company is committed to fair trade, and they also use eco-friendly dyes, so you don’t have to worry that this fabric is polluting local rivers like you do with conventionally-dyed fabrics. Pretty awesome, right? Check out this video for more about how they developed this fabric and how it’s helping change lives in Cambodia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0up1P0Y7OY
Right now, Samatoa is the only company selling lotus flower fabric, and you can only buy yardage wholesale, but hopefully if there’s enough demand for this natural, fabulous fabric, they’ll be able to open up sales to hobbyists, too!
Image Credit: Photo via Samatoa
