Pineapple Leather, The Future of Sustainable Fashion

Greenpeace has already expressed its disappointment with how the fashion industry increases the world's problems with pollution. Good thing there are fabric makers who are currently developing sustainable materials such as Pinatex, the leather made of pineapple fiber.

The new and innovative pineapple leather was seen during the Greenshowroom Salonshow, part of the AW Mercedes Benz Berlin Fashion Week. Designer Mayya Saliba used Pinatex or the fiber made from pineapple leaves in creating the pieces for the exhibit.

Pinatex was developed by Dr. Carmen Hijosa designed to become a sustainable source of fiber without needing additional space and water to produce after recognizing that creating leather has its toll on the environment. It is made from pineapple byproducts such as the leaves which undergo industrial treatment to turn it to fiber.

According to its website, Pinatex sells sustainable natural textiles. They wanted to produce sustainable fabrics to help save the environment from further damage due to pollution. And because more and more companies are developing sustanable textiles, it looks like fabrics like the pineapple leather is the future of fashion.

The materials for this innovative textile are sourced from the Philippines and then shipped to the UK and Spain for further testing and development. Pinatex leather can be used as a normal leather material including bags, clothers and shoes.

Style.Mic quoted Dr. Hijosa when she said that this leather can replace the traditional one known to man. "It's very fine... It has very good strength and flexibility, which is really what we need to make a non-woven substrate."

Pinatex added that aside from being eco and budget-friendly. they make sure that their products are equally competitive when compared the textiles available in the market today. "To bring onto the market a new and sustainable textile which can fill the gap between leather and petroleum-based textiles and that is good value for money."

Other companies have expressed interest in using sustainable materials in their clothing.