What is Pinatex ? The Pineapple Leather that Brands love to work with
Isn’t it shocking to know that pineapple leather is a thing! This ground-breaking sustainable alternative to leather, that seems to have opened doors for many opportunities in sustainable fashion industry.
What is Pineapple Leather ?
Pineapple leather is a non-woven textile material made to look and feel like leather, that is made from a combination of natural fibers from the pineapple leaf.
Since the pineapple leather relies solely on the existing pineapple produce harvest, no additional resource will be utilised and does not need to be created from scratch.
What is Pinatex ?
Piñatex is a non-biodegradable leather alternative made from cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves, PLA (polylactic acid), and petroleum-based resin. Piñatex was invented by a conscious designer Carmen Hijosa and is manufactured and distributed by Hijosa’s company Ananas Anam Ltd. In short, Piñatex® by Ananas Anam is the companies patented name for pineapple leather.
Pinatex is a fantastic addition to the fashion world because it is an ethical alternative to traditional vegan leather and a much more sustainable option to leather alternatives. Consequently, Piñatex is being exported from Spain to more than 80 countries.
Piñatex has been used by almost 3,000 brands to make clothing, shoes, bags and interiors. Nike launched a sneaker collection using Pinatex. It has also been used by brands like H&M and Hugo Boss. In 2019, Pinatex was used by Hilton to create the interiors for the world’s first vegan hotel suite in London.
What is so special about pineapple leather and how is it a great alternative to leather?
Before we get into the topic of how it is made and what it is used for? Let’s talk about why this material is designed to be used in the place of leather and synthetics.
The first aspect of this material is sustainability. Most conventional leather is processed and synthesised, making this leather non-biodegradable. Besides, these leather are also responsible for killing animals and has resulted in the clearance of Amazon forests, released greenhouse gases, and wastage of a lot of water.
One of the primary reasons people switch to sentient individuals is the ongoing cruelty against animals. Hence, many people opt for vegan leather, considering that cow-skin leather has the worst impact than even synthetic materials that are not eco friendly.
How is pineapple leather made?
Pilates is mainly composed of the pineapple leaf surface. It is not the leaves that grow from the head of the delicious fruit but just the plant from which pineapples emerge. Usually, these leaves are merely removed in pineapple manufacturing.
How is Pineapple leather made?
To make Piatex, these leaflets, which are currently all, if not primarily, from the Philippines, are torn up into separate long, threadlike fibres. They are then sun-dried throughout the non-rainy period. These fibres are then processed into a puff combined with corn-based polylactic acid.
At this time, the substance resembles felt. This material is stained with GOTS-certified pigment and covered with resin derived from solvent PU that is REACH certified to guarantee environmental standards.
This material’s coating provides a more durable, long-lasting quality. Pilates, like animal-derived leather, relaxes over the period and maybe maintained for using lubricants identical to the one used on animal leathers.
This material benefits individual looking to utilise it in situations requiring great water and abrasion resistance. This material, for example, maybe favoured by some shoemakers but is less necessary for bag producers. Pilates Performance is still biodegradable in 58 per cent of cases.
Brands/companies working with pineapple leather
1. Anas Anam
Dr Carmen Hijosa, Ananas Anam Ltd’s Ceo and Chief Design & Research Officer, is a social businesswoman with a passion for a more prosperous approach that links individuals, the ecosystem, and the industry.
Carmen is originally from Spain, but her profession has brought her worldwide. With a background in leather goods design and manufacture, she worked as an industry consultant before being moved to the Philippines in the 1990s by the Design Centre Philippines, where the Pinatex® adventure started.
2. Svala
This eco-friendly handbag company makes totes, bags, clutches, and pockets of materials like Pinatex and cork. Everything is created in Los Angeles using quality, European, and cutting-edge textiles. The term Svala is derived from Iceland, the founder’s birthplace, Helga. In Icelandic, Svala means swallow; the swallow bird is a gesture of love, trust, independence, and optimism in many traditions.
3. No Saints
This shoe brand was created responsibly in Portugal and developed with passion in Australia. They develop shoes as comfy on your feet as they are friendly to the environment by using Pinatex and other ecological, animal-free fabrics.
Conclusion
It was nearly hard to discover leather substitutes that were not derived from energy sources even a few years back. But, fortunately for us, this is improving! There are now so many fantastic leather substitutes, such as Pilates, that are not only more ethical in terms of animal welfare but also plastic-free and aesthetically pleasing!
