Fibre Paper Vest

For an Eco-Design Award Ceremony, we were commissioned by Goy Architects to design two pieces that reflected the themes of sustainability and innovation. Using materials developed by Indonesian artisans (and typically used in interior design), we created a fibre bark vest and a banana fibre paper top.

(1) Fibre Bark Vest

The way in which fibre bark reacts to different temperatures made this project a unique challenge. In dry, cold weather, fibre bark stiffens to cardboard textures. In humid, hot weather, it relaxes into a leather-like softness. To enable garment ease under varying conditions, we stitched multiple panels directly on top of each other to reduce the stress on individual seams.

(2) Sculptural Banana Fibre Paper Top

Banana pulp fibre is mixed with water to create a slurry that is poured onto a mesh screen. After the mixture dries, a unique lace-like pattern is formed and the paper is removed from the screen. Using the natural drape of this delicate material, we sculpted a one-of-a-kind top, finished with a satin binding and snap button closure.