When most people are crazy about pillows made by memory foam in large chain stores, “Nice to meet you, Kapok!” will lead you to the time-honored homeware store Lai Hing Kee, recalling the time when kapok was also used to make pillows and how important it was to our living.

Kapok is not cotton.

Kapok trees are often referred to as cotton trees, are tall and bear oval capsules containing cotton-like fibres. The cotton fibres we used daily come from shrubs belonging to the Malvaceae family, and the fibres come from the bolls.

A kapok tree can produce up to 20 kg of fibre every year. The fibres are not used in the commercial weaving industry as the fibre’s surface is too smooth to be machine spun into yarns. Kapok fibres are useful to fill mattresses, pillows, and cushions. The fibres are hollow and have a buoyancy of 20-30 times their own weight, making life jackets before the invention of artificial fibres.

from Edith Cheung’s article on kapok in 《布頭布尾》Textile Tales,  2014
Edith Cheung is an advisor to CHAT, Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile

The kapok pillow comes from Lai Hing Kee Embroidery in Shau Kei Wan district.  They started making these pillows before the 1960s. Pillowcases were made with sewing machines, then filled with kapok fibres, making pillows with good permeability.

Kapok pillows are soft and go flat over time; customers can buy kapok fibres to refill.