Pineapple ———the fruit of fashion——

Pina is a pineapple fiber made from the leaves of a pineapple plant. Many health conscious people love to have pineapple as their favorite dessert. It’s because of many health benefits it protects from a simple flu as well as fights off free radicals that cause cancer. It cleans the internal system to keep our body healthy through fibers that help in proper digestion. We are able not only to keep our internal system clean but also to achieve an outer elegant appearance. Pineapple trees are grown for their fruit. Using the leaves as fiber as well is good commercial sense especially now that eco conscious designers are looking to move away from leather and synthetic. Pineapple is mainly grown in sub tropical countries including Philippines, India, Taiwan, Brazil, Indonesia. The credit for making textile fibers from pineapple leaves go to the Philippines. Pina name comes from the Spanish word Pina which means pineapple. During 19th century Pina fabric was much in demand not only in Philippines but worldwide However, when the much cheaper cotton fabrics became popular, it’s production ceased and Pina fabric almost disappeared. Till the mind eighties of 20th century, Pina fabric was nearly impossible to find with only a handful of aging. Part time weavers working for its survival. In fact pina has been revived in recent past four decades only. Great efforts were made for the revival of this Pina trade. Now once again Pina fiber is globally popular. Pineapple leaves is an agricultural waste product of pineapple harvesting no additional environmental inputs (water, fertilizer) are necessary to produce the raw material for fabric. Because Pina threads are characteristically tensile, strong and lustrous, they require no chemical refining or extensive maintenance. The development of ‘vegan’ leather made from pineapple leaves is considered one of the greatest Eco-friendly material innovation in recent years. Since pine is from leaf the leaf has be cut first from the plant. Then the fiber is pulled or split away from the leaf. Most leaf fibers are long and somewhat stiff. Each strand of Pina fiber is hand scraped and is knotted one by one to form a continuous filament to be handwoven and then made into Pina cloth a kilo of leaves may provide up to 15-18 pieces of white, creamy and lustrous as silk fiber about 60cm long and it easily retains dyes. Pineapple silk is considered the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite. Pinatex is not only a sustaniable and ethical material. Pineapple leaf fabric is light weight. This fabric is environmental friendly. This fabric is very soft better texture than silk. Pina fiber is often blended with cotton, abaca, silk to make amazing light and breezy fabrics. When woven with silk it is known as breezy seda or Pina silk. Pinatex an animal friendly alternative to leather made from pineapple waste. This is made from cellulose fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. Pineapple based leather is very good alternative of animal leather doesn’t harm animals. It also has clear advantages for the environment compared both to real leather and to other synthetic leather. It’s created from a byproduct of agriculture, meaning its a total waste product. This is natural and sustainable alternative to the animal leather. The fabric is breathable and flexible and can be printed on and stitched. It’s also available to purchase on a roll. We should look at these crop residues as valuable resources, reather then waste, turning problem into solution by converting waste into resources. The new natural fiber.