Wearing pineapples seem like impossible and rather ridiculous to us but Spanish textile designer Carmen Hijosa saw a possibility of turning ordinary pineapples into luxury substitute for leather.
Carmen Hijosa was inspired to use pineapple as textile when she worked at the Philippines. After more than five years of research, she eventually developed Piñatex™, a sustainable and natural textile made of fibers of pineapple leaves.
Being light and versatile, Piñatex™ can be a perfect substitution for leather as it can be waxed to replicate leather or reptile skin pattern. Piñatex™ is also very economical as it costs only HK$200 per metre while leather typically costs from HK$240 to HK$360.
Piñatex™ is a sustainable product for its usage of fibers of pineapple leaves, which is a by-product of the harvest and thus no need for extra fertilizers or water to produce the raw material. As the fiber only contributes to 5% content of the pineapple leaf, the remaining biomass are not wasted either.
Indeed, Hijosa is now in collaboration with an agricultural co-operative in the Philippines to convert the biomass into biofuel and fertilizers. In order to promote sustainable agricultural development, Hijosa is eager to launch the production in other countries as there has already been an existing partner in Barcelona intending to finish the textile with the support of the Philippine Textile Research Institute.
As Piñatex™ develops into different textile product, we will have one more sustainable and humane choice to stand at the height of fashion.
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