Malai is a material with character. It comes with a natural texture that if desired can be smoothened by using calendering process.

If you desire to soften the material and bring out its texture further we recommend using graining process. While prototyping you can follow instruction in the youtube video below :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ7OmbAgtO4&t=43s

Repeat this process until desired softness is achieved. You can further soften the material using steam however please take caution as the strength of material might compromised using a combination of moisture & heat.

The best way to cut trough malai of any thickness is to use an sharp blade knife. We also recommend to cut Malai with a pair of sharp scissors.

Malai is also suitable for laser cutting and die cutting

Pieces of Malai can be joined using hand or machine sewing, glueing or any other technique you would probably use for joining leather and its imitations. Please use industrial or leather sewing machine for better results – material is quite robust.

We do recommend to back Malai with an adhesive lining if the gsm is lower than 550.

Embossing – Malai can be embossed using stamps or any kind of leather \ textile embossing machine. Hot stamping is especially successful since it creates a color difference too on lighter shades of Malai. Foil stamping is possible however doesn’t last long on this material.

Printing – Malai can be screen printed on using pigments suitable for cellulosic fibres

Finishing edges – if left untouched, cut edges of malai can fringe slightly over time and wear. We recommend to seal them applying wax, water-based glue or secure them with a single line of stitching.

Waterproofing surface – Malai is a cellulose based material and as such is sensitive to different levels of humidity. As a finished material it already has an oil based top coating protecting the surface from water penetration. However we do recommend to repeat this process regularly by applying carnauba / beeswax. After applying this we recommend a short graining process to ensure the wax gets to all the pores of the material. It will bring our materials color, texture and prolong its life significantly.