What is Kapok ?

  Kapok is the non-toxic, fully organic eco-fiber that is stuffed into our handcrafted Thai triangle pillows collection. Our Kapok filled pillow range is 100% organically produced, no chemicals or pesticides are used in their design or manufacture. Our organic Kapok pillows provide an excellent all natural alternative for those who are allergic to wool and down. All the fibers are harvested in an environmentally sustainable process; only pods that have fallen are used, promoting both eco-development and job creation in Thailand’s rural communities.  

half cut seedpod
The Inside of a Kapok Pod
showing the natural components
used for organic pillows
kapok pods
Kapok pods as they
appear in natural environments
dried kapok tree
Dried kapok pods
ready to be harvested
for pillow stuffing

 

Organic Kapok Pillows

  Our organically produced Kapok fiber is light, water resistant and buoyant; it also repels dust mites and bacteria making it the premier allergy friendly fiber. The Kapok filled  Meditation Cushions and  Thai Triangle Pillows are specially hand crafted by the highly trained artisans of Northern Thailand, using only traditional methods and materials. The manual labor costs involved with hand stitching our pillows and picking Kapok fiber combined with the emergence of synthetic fibers, plastics, foam rubbers and other inorganic material means that Kapok is not commonly used in pillow manufacture. Although Kapok is a complex fiber, it is the most long-lasting, flexible and hypoallergenic material to use in pillow stuffing.

Why is Kapok Fiber the Best Pillows Filler?

  Kapok fibers texture is soft and smooth to touch, providing a supportive yet fluffy feel. It is washable, odorless and far more durable than wool. It has a unique quality similar to high quality down with none of the allergens. The Kapok fiber is water resistant, quick drying, resilient and buoyant, which is why it was used in life preservers. Kapok fiber weighs one-eighth as much as cotton, and is extremely malleable, making it ideal for meditation cushions in transportation. Kapok fiber is the ideal material for stuffing   Zafus and Zabutons , as it moulds to your body providing structured support. The silky fibers are very brittle and non-cohesive, making them a poor choice for spinning and manufacturing clothes, it takes truly talented, highly trained craftsmen to work with Kapok Fiber.

one fold backrest pillow in use
One of the best backrest pillows
out there
meditation cushions
Live in the moment
with these awesome
meditation cushions
one fold  backrest
The ideal way to spend
an afternoon, outside with this
high quality backrest pillow
triangle pillows
Expect the best
from our triangle pillows

Kapok Fibers' Organic, Sustainable Processes

  The kapok tree blooms infrequently, usually every 5-10 years. When the kapok tree does bloom it is usually prolific, with about 4000 fruits growing at any one-time. Eventually the pods will reach maturity and break, exposing the cotton-like fibers and seeds to the wind for dispersal. The seeds and the fiber are gathered from the pods by hand, where they are stirred in a basket till the seeds fall and the fiber rises.

  The tree is renowned for its medicinal uses, but it also provides food, shelter and transportation for its eco-system, including indigenous people who use it to carve canoes and build shacks. The kapok tree is noted as one of the most versatile trees on the planet, its seeds are used by tribes-people throughout the world as soap and a useful fertilizer. It also has some potential in paint preparation and as a bio fuel.

  The versatility of the Kapok tree, its fruit, seeds and fiber is one of the wonders of nature. It seems virtually every element of the tree is a valuable resource for something or someone. Our skilled artisans rely on you to keep their time-honored art alive, by purchasing our Kapok pillows you are ensuring the magic of handcrafted, all natural products continues.

What Makes our Kapok Pillows so Special?

  Kapok requires professional equipment or the magic of highly skilled professionals in order to stuff our pillows. Due to its brittleness and short fiber length, the untrained hand will leave the pillow uneven and lumpy. The manual labor cost involved in producing our organic pillows repel big businesses that compromise quality for mass produced regalia using artificial materials. We believe it is possible to focus exclusively on the limited quantities of the very best pillows and meditation cushions while still surviving.

kapok pods extraction
Kapok pods waiting
to be extracted
kapok fiber seedpod
Kapok fiber can be seen
when the pods are dried
and starting to fall apart
kapok fiber
Fresh kapok fiber with
the seeds still inside
collected kapok fiber
Each pillow must be
made with the most delicate
hands or else the magic fails.

 
Thai Pillows PO BOX 6460 Santa Fe NM 87502
Customer Service 888.901.8550 Fax: 415.276.5885

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