May West was a milkweed-based design project produced in collaboration with Alayna Rasile between 2015 and 2020. A native North American plant, milkweed has a symbiotic relationship with the monarch butterfly, an iconic pollinator species sadly on the decline. As many as 1.8 billion additional stems of milkweed plants are needed in North America to bring the monarch butterfly population back to a sustainable size. As a fiber, milkweed is warmer than wool, naturally water repellent, and buoyant. Establishing a commercial application for milkweed helps generates a market opportunity for the plant, thereby enhancing its growth. This type of new material development is important to solidify regenerative agricultural systems, help build our domestic fibershed, and ensure rural economies are resilient and healthy like the landscapes they are a part of.
Harvesting milkweed floss at Borderview Farm, Alburgh, Vermont. Photo by Francis McGill.
Jacket made with milkweed batting as insulation. Photo by Nick Tenney.
Milkweed pod going to seed at Queens County Farm, Floral Park, New York.
Our jacket prototype used cupra for the inside liner, and a wax based cotton for the outer shell. Photo by Nick Tenney.
Harvesting milkweed floss during WWII for life preservers. Archival photograph from online articles by Chesapeake Bay Program (2/17/17) + CMU Public Radio News (7/7/16). Please be in touch if you know the original source of these images.