It looks, feels and behaves like leather but there’s one very exciting difference — it’s made from pineapple leaves. Since these leaves are ordinarily cast aside by pineapple farmers and left to rot, no extra land, water, fertilisers or pesticides are needed to produce this versatile new material.
Designer Carmen Hijosa has found a way to turn a waste product into a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to leather — innovation at its best! It’s called Piñatex and already furniture, accessory and shoe companies (including Puma) are working on prototypes with this durable textile. In fact, shoe company NAE have some Piñatex sneakers on the market already and you can get your hands on them here.