TexteisPenedo has developed a method of turning cork into fabric.The new collection launches with decorative fabrics for curtains/drapery and other home accessories. The plan is to expand with more categories, like top of bed. The company opted to blend the cork fiber with cotton to soften its touch and feel, and add dimension, while maintaining the product’s content as natural, not synthetic. Previously, cork-based textiles for apparel or home textiles were relatively stiff. The new cork yarn is a flexible product made of a natural material and thus offers additional design opportunities for the fashion industry and interior furnishing.

The company, based in Portugal, has opened a factory to produce sustainable home textiles made of 30 per cent cork fiber and 70 per cent cotton.

Portugal is the world’s leading producer of cork, a natural resource made from the bark of the cork tree. Cork is obtained by removing it from the bark of the trunk, a process that does not harm or kill the tree. In addition to its traditional use for sealing bottles, cork has more recently expanded to women’s accessories like handbags and home goods like floor coverings and tableware. Cork is antibacterial, anti-allergic, it helps keep the user’s temperature cool, and it is naturally fire retardant.