Kapok fibre is totally natural and is obtained from the fruits of a tree that is widespread in the rainy areas of South America. The fruits are very similar to those of cotton, but unlike the latter, kapok fibre is very light and is also called vegetable wool.
The tree from which it is obtained, the Ciba, is majestic and there are many legends that associate it with sacred and religious traditions. The trunk is covered with large thorns and can reach up to 60 metres in height and three metres in diameter. It has very large leaves which are in turn composed of other smaller leaves, while the fruits, on the other hand, contain a dense mass of fibres that lengthy processes transform into the thread most commonly used in the padding of cushions, fabrics, mattresses and quilts.
A further advantage of kapok fibre is to be found in its natural life cycle: thanks, in fact, to its natural and biological origin it grows spontaneously without the use of fertilisers and pesticides, furthermore, its extraction does not require intensive cultivation thus respecting the environment.
