Sustainable Luxury with the Power of Pineapple

We know pineapple as a tropical fruit and associate it with vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, cakes and probably even patterns on clothes.

Who would have ever thought pineapples would be linked to sustainable textile? Sounds absurd, but Dr. Carmen Hijosa did not think so. She first developed and presented Pinatex (pineapple leather) at the PhD graduate exhibition at the Royal College of Art, London.

What is Pinatex?

Pinatex is the sustainable, natural and cruelty-free alternative to leather and the patented name for pineapple leather. It is made from the fibers of pineapple leaves, which are otherwise thrown away.

The final product is remarkably similar to leather. Moreover, it is strong, breathable, soft, flexible and can be easily printed on, stitched and cut.

Its versatility, minimal impact on the environment, ability to utilize agricultural waste and spare the lives of a wide variety of cattle, sheep, lambs, goats, snakes and crocodiles, among others; all render it an important textile with an extremely radiant future.

The Inventor

Dr. Carmen Hijosa, a leathergoods expert and the founder of Ananas Anam developed Pinatex to reduce the horrifying environmental impact of mass leather production. The entire process from ideation to lab testing to sampling to development, took about eight years. Dr. Hijosa’s perseverance, hard work and determination made it possible and Pinatex was successfully launched on 12thDecember, 2014.

Benefits of Pinatex

The manufacturing process of traditional leather involves the use of over 250 toxic heavy metals and chemicals like aldehyde, cyanide and lead. These are not only harmful to the environment but also to the health of workers. Pinatex, however, uses no such toxic substances and is thus gentle towards the environment.
Moreover, it also generates an additional source of income for pineapple farmers as it gives them an opportunity to sell pineapple leaves.

Sustainable Luxury

With the increasing awareness and consciousness about the environment, the need and demand for sustainability is on the rise. Luxury brands are trying to keep up with this through sustainable luxury. It truly is the future. It is a thoughtful and much needed blend between the pleasure of luxury and restraint of sustainability.

Luxury Brands using Pinatex for Sustainable Luxury

The versatility of Pinatex allows it to be used for a wide array of products; ranging from shoes to handbags to wallets to jackets to watches. A myriad of luxury brands have adopted this vegan leather to create their high end products. A few of these are:

Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss, the German luxury fashion brand, launched a sleek collection of vegan shoes in 2018; with the aim of leaving a minimal imprint on the planet; while also promoting sustainability and responsible design.

These cruelty-free shoes are made from Pinatex and are coloured using plant-based dyes, with soles made of recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Available in blue, black, orange, yellow and silver; these shoes also come in a recyclable and biodegradable paper box, made from 100 per cent recovered fibre.

This move by Hugo Boss was a part of their efforts to make the company’s products more sustainable. The fashion label said, “The project is part of an ongoing commitment to innovation across the company's offering as well as a continuous search for more sustainable ways to design, source, produce and finish its products.”

Mercer Amsterdam

This Netherlands-based, New York City street style-inspired company unveiled its first vegan sneaker in collaboration with Pinatex, with the aim of launching sustainable alternatives to leather.

Designed with an inspiration from the 90s and an environmental point of view, the lining used for the ‘The W3RD Vegan Pineapple’ is made with OnSteam textile, a microfibre resembling real leather while being 100 per cent breathable.

They are now available in a variety of colours and patterns.

Svala

Svala is an L.A. based fashion house of luxury vegan handbags and accessories with a brand focus on sustainability.

Their products are handcrafted from premium and innovative fabrics like cork, Italian vegan leather, Italian vegan fabric and Pinatex; along with elements of plant-based suede, organic cotton and polyester made from recycled plastic bottles.  

They have a range of handbags crafted from Pinatex, some of which are shown below.

Altiir

This Italian fashion brand creates luxury fashion garments for the modern conscious consumer, using innovative technology and sustainable textiles.

“It’s become a matter of necessity as much as desire” says Creative Director, Turner-Sutton, “We have to create sustainable products in ethical and cruelty-free ways if we are to continue to enjoy, and be proud of the pieces we invest in.”

Under this vision, their first collection consists of vintage biker jackets made up of Pinatex. These are available in a range of colours, from black to brown to metallic.

This is a significant step towards the company’s quest for sustainability in fashion.

Chanel

This French luxury brand displayed their first Pinatex product - a gold boater hat, on its pre-fall 2019 runway; which was then put up for sale on its website for $2,300.

The use of Pinatex was a part of the brand’s effort to update their collection and maintain their quality and ethical standards. However, Chanel has not yet announced plans to incorporate vegan textiles as a part of their collections.

The Change

The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, after oil – this is alarming and demands great attention. Sustainability is the solution and its demand among consumers is increasing. According to Selfridges, more than 60 per cent customers want to shop sustainably and according to Bain & Co, 89 per cent of consumers expect brands to publicly communicate their sustainable actions, especially in the luxury sector.

Sustainable textiles are thus undeniably the future and the answer to the cries about environmental degradation and resource depletion.

A plethora of sustainable textiles have been developed and efforts to further do so are on the rise. A few successful innovations include those made from pineapples, hemp, coffee, apples and even bananas.

However, the ability of Pinatex to resemble leather closely, renders it unique and the number of brands incorporating this material are escalating. Luxury brands are also evolving according to the increasing need and demand for sustainability among consumers and it is this segment of the market that usually creates the largest waves.