2017-01-12

To be chic without feeling guilty with pineapple leather

By Coline

�Leather is a timeless textile that some people can’t do without: jackets, shoes, bags, a lot of items that are trendy. However, from an ethical and ecological point of view, animal leather causes problems for more and more people, who chose to go without. The vegetable tanning is already reducing the environmental footprint, but the nature lovers are not always fond of it. That's where the pineapple leather comes in, a thin and robust leather, made from pineapple leaves fibres. As beautiful as ecological. A good way to be chic without feeling guilty… Made & More approves !

A vegan leather coming from the Philippines

During her stay in the Philippines in the 90’s, Carmen Hijosa, founder of the pineapple leather, found a lot of inspiration. She was looking for an alternative to animal leather and discovered the «barong tanalog», a traditional ceremonial outfit worn by Filipinos and made from pineapple leaves.

The creator got inspiration from this outfit, and the Piñatex was born. "Piña" means "pineapple" in Spanish. The production of this vegan textile is part of the circular and collaborative economy.

More ecological and less expensive than animal leather

Pineapple leather has a lot of advantages: ecological, ethical and economic. The use of pineapple leaves doesn’t require the expansion of the grounds because we just have to collect the leaves of the current plantations, that are usually let on the field until they were rotten. The leftovers of the vegetable stuffs are turned into organic gas and organic fertilizers and then given to the Filipinos producers. Therefore, the pineapple leather is a source of income for the local farmers in the Philippines because it’s made directly on the spot before being sent to Spain to be treated.

Moreover, the pineapple leather is more ecological and less expensive than animal leather. One square meter of that vegan leather is sold 23€, compared to 25€ to 38€ for one square meter of animal leather. It can be dyed, printed and treated in order to give different kinds of weaves or thicknesses, undeniably looking like animal leather. Therefore, it is now possible to find a bag or shoes both vegan and fashion.

On the verge to rise

The pineapple leather creator is enthusiastic about the growth of this textile. 1 billion square meters of Piñatex should be sold by the end of the year. According to Carmen Hijosa, it is an achievable goal. Shoes, sofas, bags and many accessories...if the market gets used to vegan leather, the animal leather will have something to worry about.