How can you use a banana to make cloth?
Published in Daily Trivia
The banana plant has long been a source of fibre for high quality textiles. In Japan, the cultivation of banana for clothing and household use dates back to at least the 13th century. In the Japanese system, leafs and shoots are cut from the plant periodically to ensure softness. This traditional Japanese banana cloth making process requires many steps, all done by hand. In another system employed in Nepal, the trunk of the banana plant is instead harvested, small pieces of which are subjected to a softening process, mechanical extraction of the fibres, bleaching, drying, after which the fibres are sent to the Kathmandu valley for the making of high end rugs with a textural quality similar to silk. Banana fibre is also used in the production of banana paper.
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