Lotus fabric

The most sustainable fabric 

Lotus fabric has unique properties: it is naturally soft, light, especially breathable, and almost wrinkle free. It is also a very eco-friendly fabric containing no chemicals or toxic products. It’s probably the most ecological fabric in the world. First, because we transform a stem that would have turned to waste into a quality textile. Furthermore, we ensure not using any polluting energy during the entirety of the production process.

Experimental research

conducted in remote villages enabled Samatoa to bring back to life long forgotten skills. Thousands of years ago, the art of creating lotus fabrics was widely spread, but then forgotten. Since then, lotus flowers were still harvested in Cambodia, but not their valuable stem that was left in the water. What a waste! Samatoa decided to bring back to life those ancestral technics. And to weave lotus textile using the fiber contained in those stems.

Starting with this uniquely soft and breathable fabric, we developed the first prototypes of our new collection. Our lotus fabrics are all made possible thanks to the skill of our artisans who possess unparalleled expertise. They create strikingly precise and detailed designs.

Some figures around lotus textile manufacturing:

• 4 harvests of lotus per day
• 1 hectare of lake per spinner
• 1 spinner can produce up to 250 meters of thread a day
• Around 30kg of stems are needed to produce 250 meters of thread
• 1 experimented weaver can weave 1 meter of lotus fabric a day

In 2012, we submitted a sarong, made from our unique lotus fibers to the UNESCO handicrafts program and received their Seal of Excellence. The Seal “encourages artisans to produce handicrafts using traditional skills, patterns, and themes in an innovative. The objective is to ensure the continuity and sustainability of these traditions and skills.” The award is a sign of the craft expert jury’s recognition of high quality materials.

Upon receiving the Seal of Excellence, our lotus fabrics have received great attention from designers all around the world.