Abaca-Pili Textile (abaca fibre cloth coated with pili tree resin)
Objectives:
- Develop a textile made from natural Philippine fibres and plant-based coatings that can be used for technical applications
- Explore the textile’s properties and products that it can potentially be used for
Project Duration: May 2025 – Present
Designed For: Personal research
Role: Independent designer
Overview: Using a material-driven approach to explore pili tree resin and its potential as a coating for natural fibre cloths such as abaca. The aim is to develop a textile that can be used for technical applications, replacing commonly used water resistant/waterproof textiles that are made with problematic fossil fuel-based fibres, resins and additives.
Pili is a tropical tree native to the Philippines. It is widely known for its nut kernels but the tree is also utilised for its resin. The resin, also called Manila elemi, is used as an ingredient for perfumes, printing inks, plastics and medicinal applications. During Spanish colonization the Spaniards used it to repair ships.
Abaca is a native plant species in the Philippines. It is traditionally and currently used for textiles, cordage, pulp and woven products. Abaca is recognised for its unique material properties such as saltwater resistance and performance in the ocean. It was widely used as a marine rope prior to the rise of synthetic polymer ropes.
For both of these materials it is interesting to explore their potential applications in technical gear that requires water resistant/waterproof properties.
Dry bags and other water resistant bags are commonly made with synthetic fibers and fossil fuel-based additives/coatings (many of which are known to be toxic). I’m exploring the potential of this abaca-pili textile to be used for bags that are water resistant.
Prototype 1
Abaca fibre cloth manually coated with one layer of pili tree resin. Hand sewn with abaca fibre as the thread. Roll top with steel closure (used for swimsuits).
This is part of a reimagining of the future of materials. The outdoor products we use are made with technical performance in mind, but many of the material components are known to have negative effects throughout their life cycle. The following questions guided my materials exploration:
- What if we developed technical products using natural and locally available materials?
- Instead of toxic resins, could we use plant-based resins?
- Instead of imported synthetic fibre cloth, could we use fabrics that are locally woven with Philippine fibres?
