Piña & Filipiniana

“Piña” fiber is extracted from the leaves of a pineapple plant. Its scientific name is Ananas comosus. The fibers are ivory-white in color and naturally glossy. The cloth is translucent, soft and fine with high luster. Piña fiber is often blended with cotton, abaca, silk, or polyester to create wonderful light, breezy fabrics. Since piña fabric is hand-loomed by only a few weavers, it is very precious and scarce, which also makes it expensive.

The piña fiber is used mainly for the Barong Tagalog, also for wedding dresses and other traditional Philippine formal dress. It is also used for table linens, mats, bags and other clothing items. Because it is lightweight but stiff, this sheer fabric can be used in any creative design. Noted couturiers in the local fashion scene are now using the fabric in their creations for haute couture shows worldwide.

Piña’s name comes from the Spanish word “piña” which literally means pineapple. The Spanish Red or Native Philippine Red pineapple variety takes about 18 months to reach maturity. They thrive best in open fields with sandy clay soil. The pineapple plant grows spiny leaves up to two meters in length. It is said that the leaves of these varieties yield excellent fibers for handweaving. After about a year from planting, three to five leaves are cut from each plant.