Sharuka Rajah’s Post

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Student at SNS College of Arts and Science

Here iam posting article about pineapple fabric #snsinstituions # snsdesignthinkers #designthinking Pineapple as their favorite dessert. It's because of many health benefits of the delicious fruit. It protects from a simple flu as well as fights off free radicals that cause cancer. It cleans the internal system to keep our body healthy through fibers that help in proper digestion. That's not all, it's not the only kind of fiber that a pineapple carries. Pineapple leaves are used to obtain Piña, a textile fiber that is used to make fabrics. As such, we are able not only to keep our internal system clean but also to achieve an outer elegant appearance. Piña is a pineapple fiber made from the leaves of a pineapple plant and is commonly used in the Philippines. It is sometimes combined with silk or polyester to create a textile fabric. Piña's name comes from the Spanish word piña which literally means pineapple Pineapple is mainly grown in sub-tropic countries including Philippines, Taiwan, Brazil, Hawaii, India, Indonesia and the West Indies. Pineapple has been produced well amount in Bangladesh also. And the country has good potential in producing pineapple fiber and corresponding products. However the credit for making textile fibers from pineapple leaves go to the Philippines. Pina weaving is an age old tradition dating back to Hispanic times. Pina clothes were said to have reached Greece and African countries many centuries ago. During 19th century, pina fabric was much in demand, not only in Philippines but worldwide. However, when the much cheaper cotton fabrics became popular, its production ceased and Pina fabric almost disappeared. Till the mid eighties of 20th century, pina fiber was nearly impossible to find with only a handful of aging, part time weavers working for its survival. In fact, Pina has been revived in the recent past two decades only. Great efforts were made for the revival of this age old tradition and for re-establishing the pina trade. It started with marketing of pina barong embroidered traditional garment of Philippines locally which eventually got popular with the elite. Traditional pina weaving has survived in spite of all odds and production has since begun to flourish. Now once again, pina fiber is globally popular and Pina cloths from the Philippines are being exported to various parts of the world, particularly to North America and Europe. Kalibo, Aklan is the main and the oldest manufacturer/weaver of Piña cloth in the Philippines which are being exported. History records suggest that Kalibo's Piña cloth was traded during the Pre-Hispanic times and reached as far as Greece and Egypt during its heyday. Kalibo is also known for other native products such as handbags made of buri leaves which is a favorite for Caucasian females visiting the town. Pineapple silk is considered the queen of Philippine fabrics and is considered the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite.

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