Kelly pointed me to these awesome wedding dresses made from pineapple cloth, and my interest was piqued! It turns out that pineapple fabric, or Piña cloth, is a traditional fiber from the Phillipines dating back from the 1800’s! So here’s the skinny on Piña. The lightweight fiber is often intricately embroidered. It’s traditionally used in high-end garments like wedding gowns called Barong Tagalog (fabric from a Barong is pictured to the right there). The fiber itself is woven from the leaves of the pineapple plant. It’s sheer but stiff enough to embroider and has a natural sheen. According to Textile Fashion Trends, it’s easy to wash and doesn’t require dry cleaning. That’s great news, since so much formal wear is dry clean only, which means treating the garment with harsh chemicals. I looked all over for places that sold Piña cloth by the yard but turned up nothing. I’m so intrigued! Have any of you worked with pineapple cloth? Image Credits: Pineapple. Creative Commons photo by auntiep Barong Up Close. Creative Commons photo by brownpau
