Some time ago, “Fruit Story”, known as the Chinese fruit version on the tip of the tongue, was completed as scheduled. In the fifth episode “Inspiration”, with the theme of fruit, we introduced the natural dye of persimmon in summer. Artists from across the country use various fruits to create the most popular fashion this season…
Among them, the one that I was deeply impressed by was the usually inconspicuous pineapple, the power of nature. Let its roots, stems and leaves each have their own magic. In Naga, Philippines, October pineapple harvest has already been completed, and only the pineapple leaves are enjoying the sunshine and soil nutrients alone in the field. Filipinos, who are well aware of nature’s gifts, are waiting for their wonderful show.
The sharp leaves were once the most overlooked part of the field. Due to the strong international promotion of ecological textile materials in the past two years, the crude fiber in pineapple leaves has stood on the stage of history. Remove the sharp thorns on both sides of the leaves and scrape the surface of the leaves. The white filaments that slowly appear are natural pineapple fibers.
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Pineapple leaf fiber (also known as pineapple hemp in my country) is taken from the leaves of sharp plants. Like sisal and other fibers, it belongs to The leaves are hemp-like fibers. In Japan, efforts have been made to develop this kind of pineapple leaf fiber in recent years. They call pineapple leaf fiber the fifth natural high-grade fiber after cotton, wool, silk and ramie. Each pineapple leaf fiber can reach 80 to 100 centimeters. Although it is as thin as cow hair, it has amazing toughness and strength. The fiber of the documentary film pineapple leaf is enough to pull a car.
In the 1970s, Filipinos first learned to use pineapple leaf fiber to make clothes. At the 2015 APEC Summit in Manila, Xi Jinping and leaders from various countries attended People wear coats spun from this fiber.
Now on the other side of the ocean, Carmen, a former leather merchant, discovered an almost perfect textile raw material, pineapple fiber, during a trip to the Philippines. “My many years of working in the leather industry have given me a deep understanding of the ecological devastation and damage caused by leather products. Not only does it involve cruelty to animals, but the large number of chemical agents used in the production and processing process also means that it is harmful to human health. “The emergence of pineapple leaf fiber may be able to solve this problem and become a new leather alternative,” said Carmen.
Naturally growing pineapple leaves are rich in a large amount of gum and lignin, which make the fiber too hard to use. After more than ten years of testing and research, Carmen developed the ideal Pineapple fiber leather replaces ordinary leather products, reducing harm to animals and impact on the natural environment.
She gelled pineapple fiber and pressed it into a complete fiber material. After environmentally friendly dyeing and processing, she obtained a leather-like texture. She named this leather Piatex. Carmen’s innovative leather has no killing and no chemical dyes that damage the environment. Her concept has also been recognized by many fashion designers, who began to use pineapple leather instead of animal leather. The texture of pineapple leather is very special. It can be used to make fashion, bags, shoes and hats, accessories, mobile phone accessories, furniture, car seats… The price is also very affordable. Piatex is 18 pounds per meter (approximately RMB 170). It’s about 40% off animal leather. The most important thing is that this kind of leather can be completely biodegraded. It is taken from nature and given back to nature. It is the most eco-friendly cooperation.
Now Piatex has cooperated with brands in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, and it is expected that shoes and clothing made of pineapple leather will be on the market in a few months. Who knew that the world’s leading shoe fabrics originated from hard, worthless leaves discarded in pineapple fields? Carmen’s next step is to form an organic industrial chain, which not only supports the Filipino people, but also saves the lives of countless small animals. Perhaps in the near future, the animal leather we love now may be replaced by “pineapple leather”.
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