Designers seeking to create cruelty-free fashion for vegans have unveiled their latest product – stylish ‘leather’ boots made from pineapple leaves.
Polish streetwear company Bohema Clothing, which prides itself on its environmentally friendly products for vegans, is behind the two new boot models, which cost 549 PLN (112 GBP) and 599 PLN (123 GBP) in Poland will be reportedly priced between 200 and 250 GBP in the UK.
Its ladies’ boots are made from ‘Pinatex’, a new alternative to leather that is made entirely from pineapple leaves.
Sebastian Szypula, the designer and owner of the Bohema Clothing, said they were already proving popular with fashion conscious vegans.
He said: “We were looking for new solutions, new technologies and then we found out about Pinatex. We started testing the substance and this is how our first model was made.”
Pinatax was developed in the Philippines by Spanish leather expert Dr Carmen Hijosa who was concerned at the environmental impact of mass leather production.
About 480 pineapple leaves are needed to create each square metre of Pinatex and each pineapple has 30 to 40 leaves.
But as the leaves are currently left to rot on the ground, Pinatex is a by-product of pineapple crops and requires no additional water, fertilisers or pesticides.
Mr Szypula said the company was interested in developing further plant-based leather alternatives.
He said: “We are already checking new plant patents for ‘leather’ that we cannot yet reveal. But this summer you can expect another surprising solution.”
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Story By: Bartosz Staszewski, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
