Combining structure and liquid repellent coatings to optimise non-wettability is a well-established field. However, the area in recent years has been dominated by data on water repellency. The work here provides data on how certain plant structures can be used to develop surfaces that provide repellency towards both polar and non-polar, low surface tension fluids. Combining fluoropolymer coatings with 'hairy' fibres is particularly beneficial for providing liquid-repellent textiles. None of these surfaces can however be regarded as super-repellent to low surface tension liquids (i.e. with little difference in advancing and receding contact angles). Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.