ZARA's Latest Collection Embraces Vegan Pineapple Leather

WEAR

Aug 24

The PIÑATEX x ZARA collection of sneakers, sandals and accessories are made using a sustainable, cruelty-free pineapple-based material.

ZARA is the latest in a growing list of brands embracing innovative, animal-free alternatives to leather. The fashion giant has partnered with Ananas Anam to produce a new collection using the B-Corp’s next-generation pineapple leather, PIÑATEX, featuring a range of shoes, sandals, and accessories, for men, women and kids.

The vegan material is used in place of animal-leather in the upper construction of the footwear models, using several colours from the original PIÑATEX collection. With accents of PIÑATEX Metallic Silver, the bags also have elements from the PIÑATEX original line.

The collection is part of ZARA’s Sustainability Innovation Hub; a platform for collaborating with innovative brands to promote initiatives that can contribute to building more sustainable products.

Developed in 2016 by Spanish designer Dr. Carmen Hijosa, PIÑATEX is a watertight, hardwearing alternative to animal-derived leather, sourced from the leftover leaves from the pineapple harvest. By recovering agricultural waste, the PIÑATEX Technology offers a low-impact, plant-based textile, without the need for any additional land, water or pesticides to grow the raw material.

“PIÑATEX is unique because this versatile, natural fabric is made from pineapple leaf fibres, a by-product of the pineapple harvest, meaning that no resources are used in growing the raw material making PIÑATEX the most sustainable alternative to leather commercially available at scale,” states the company.

Other leading global lifestyle brands around the world have also incorporated PIÑATEX into their collections, including Nike, H&M, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, and more. “We are big believers in ‘changing giants from the inside’ to create impact at scale,” Melanie Broyé-Engelkes, CEO of Ananas Anam told vegconomist.

Soon to be valued at nearly $128.61 billion, the global animal leather industry slaughters over one billion animals every year. And contrary to popular belief, animal leather is not simply a “by-product” of the meat industry - it’s a co-product. Animal leather is in itself a fully mechanized independent industry.

The animal leather industry has a detrimental impact on the planet, the animals, and the people involved in the production. Just recently, the animal leather used by more than 100 fashion brands has been linked to deforestation in the Amazon, according to a new report compiled by Slow Factory.

Vegan leather alternatives made from natural materials such as fruit and vegetables are rising in popularity with brands, like ZARA, because of their ethical and sustainable benefits.

Stella McCartney recently debuted the first-ever fungi-leather handbag, while leading car manufacturers are making more and more of their cars leather-free. Volvo, MINI, Volkswagen, and Tesla are among those who also offer leather-free car interiors.

Check out some of our favorite animal-free leather alternative here and learn more about these next-gen materials by listening to our podcast episode with Sydney Gladman, the chief scientific officer at Material Innovation Initiative (MII), and Ranjani Theregowda, MII’s environmental data scientist here.

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