Lotus flower produces luxury Cambodian fabrics.
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:33 pm
Cambodian brand turns lotus flower into luxury fashion
By: Eléonore Sok - Photography by: Morgan Fache - POSTED ON: August 1, 2016
In Cambodia’s rural west, an ethical fashion brand is turning the lotus flower into a highly sought-after – and rather expensive – niche fabric.
A model wears a Samatoa-designed sarong, made from a luxurious blend of lotus and silk.
Weaving tradition
[But,] in 2009, the company’s future took a dramatic turn when Delaval learnt about a fascinating tradition in Myanmar. In the Inle Lake region, during an annual Buddhist celebration, high-ranking monks would wear special robes made from lotus fibres. Inside the stems were long fibre filaments that created a soft, delicate thread. The resulting fabric, almost a cross between silk and linen, was naturally stain-resistant, waterproof, and soft to the touch, he learnt.
“I heard that weaving lotus flowers was an ancient practice,” he tells me. “Cambodia has a similar Buddhist background to Myanmar, and in Angkor Wat’s bas-reliefs some weaving scenes are depicted, so [one] can imagine that the lotus fibres were also crafted here. I felt a bit sad that this beautiful tradition might have disappeared, so I came back to Cambodia with the idea of reintroducing it.”
Full article: http://sea-globe.com/lotus-flower-luxury-fashion/
By: Eléonore Sok - Photography by: Morgan Fache - POSTED ON: August 1, 2016
In Cambodia’s rural west, an ethical fashion brand is turning the lotus flower into a highly sought-after – and rather expensive – niche fabric.
A model wears a Samatoa-designed sarong, made from a luxurious blend of lotus and silk.
Weaving tradition
[But,] in 2009, the company’s future took a dramatic turn when Delaval learnt about a fascinating tradition in Myanmar. In the Inle Lake region, during an annual Buddhist celebration, high-ranking monks would wear special robes made from lotus fibres. Inside the stems were long fibre filaments that created a soft, delicate thread. The resulting fabric, almost a cross between silk and linen, was naturally stain-resistant, waterproof, and soft to the touch, he learnt.
“I heard that weaving lotus flowers was an ancient practice,” he tells me. “Cambodia has a similar Buddhist background to Myanmar, and in Angkor Wat’s bas-reliefs some weaving scenes are depicted, so [one] can imagine that the lotus fibres were also crafted here. I felt a bit sad that this beautiful tradition might have disappeared, so I came back to Cambodia with the idea of reintroducing it.”
Full article: http://sea-globe.com/lotus-flower-luxury-fashion/