Traditionally, fashion involves many animal products such as fur, feathers, and leather. The issue of animal cruelty and sustainability arises during the production of these products. Slowly, many designers started to incorporate more faux fur, faux feathers, and faux leather into their garments. An example of faux leather material used is Piñatex®.
In the Food and Fashion Exhibit, a pair of Piñatex® red-orange pumps by the brand Jo-Anne Vernay was featured. Dyandra Raye is the designer behind the brand, who specializes in vegan footwear made from fruit. Piñatex® is a material made from the cellulose fibers of pineapple leaves. It takes 460 leaves to make one square meter of this pineapple-based faux leather. Since pineapple leaves are usually discarded, using them to create faux leather is a great way to reduce food waste and increase sustainability.
Dyandra Raye created the brand Jo-Anne Vernay when she became vegan in 2018. She wanted to make vegan footwear from plant-based materials rather than the typical polyurethane faux leather. Raye draws inspiration from nature and the world around her. She is determined to create slow-fashion items that are both sustainable and vegan. Faux leather options like Piñatex® are great for avoiding animal cruelty and promoting sustainability. Invention of materials like Piñatex® is an important step towards limiting waste and reducing our carbon footprint.
As people recognize the threat of climate change and global warming to our environment, fashion items have been made from more recycled and sustainable materials. The shift from using non-recycled materials and animal products to using recycled materials and faux leather shows our change in cultural attitude. Consumers are moving away from fast fashion and showing their support for fashion that puts more emphasis on protecting our environment. Big brands like Nike are also using Piñatex® to create products like the “Happy Pineapple” sneakers. As a society, we are slowly shifting to a more sustainable approach to fashion.
Yinglin, I also noticed the theme of adapting to the climate crisis and using sustainability in fashion moving forward, but I did not catch these shoes at the exhibit! The use of pineapple leaves that are otherwise discarded is very resourceful; it would be great to see more similar products in the coming years.