Tequilana Tex

About the project

Tequilana Tex is a woven textile developed from the agroindustrial byproduct of Mexico’s tequila industries. Last year alone, more than 583 million liters of tequila were produced and over 408 million liters exported worldwide. Behind this expansion lies an overlooked material reality, millions of blue agave plants harvested for distillation leave behind vast quantities of biomass. In 2025 alone, approximately 2.19 tons of blue agaves were used for tequila production, yet most of their structural material remains underutilized. Conventional disposal methods, such as burning, composting, or chemical treatment, recover little of the plant’s material value and can contribute to additional environmental strain.

Tequilana Tex re-imagines this distillation waste into durable textiles suitable for upholstery, interiors and product applications. The process preserves the fiber’s structural integrity while enhancing strength, flexibility and longevity. By linking cultural heritage with material development, the project establishes a circular system in which agroindustrial waste is transformed into long-life design surfaces, redefining the relationship between ritual production and regenerative manufacturing.

Cuemái

Cuemái approaches design as a material system rather than a finished product. Our work focuses on transforming tequila industry remnants into textile materials, extending the lifecycle of this underutilized biomass at an industrial scale. By doing so, Cuemái addresses two parallel challenges: the underutilization of agricultural waste and the environmental impact of conventional textile production. Through material innovation and engineered processes, the work reframes waste as a resource, establishing a scalable model that connects agriculture, industry, and design.