CALVIN KLEIN USES FABRIC MADE FROM PINEAPPLE LEAVES IN ITS VEGAN SNEAKERS
Calvin Klein has incorporated Piñayarn, a high-tech vegan material made from leftover pineapple leaves in a pair of vegan sneakers.
The designer of the shoes worked with two companies that produce sustainable materials, Tencel and Ananas Anam, to create the shoes.
The shoes, dubbed “sustainable knit trainers,” come in black and marshmallow colors right now.
The shoes are composed of 70% Tencel Lyocell Refibra and 30% Piñayarn and are made in Portugal.
According to the brand, they are “made with wood pulp from sustainably managed forests, recycled cotton, and pineapple fibers.”
Vegan Material
Ananas Anam, a company founded by Dr. Carmen Hijosa, is best known for producing Piñatex, another vegan material made of pineapples, and it created Piñayarn.
Made from the fibers of pineapple leaves, Piñatex is a vegan leather substitute that mimics the appearance and texture of leather derived from animals.
Concurrently, Piñayarn is, as its name implies, a yarn manufactured from a vegan-friendly substitute for wool, positioned as a more ecologically friendly option than textiles derived from petroleum.
Speaking in a statement announcing the product last year, Dr Carmen Hijosa said: “Developing a yarn that uses the same repurposed waste pineapple leaves was always a natural step after inventing Piñatex.
“The global pandemic accelerated this development as we worked on creating a yarn for biodegradable face coverings. It became imminently obvious that the yarn’s credentials would make a positive impact in the fashion and footwear industries.”
Vegan Collaboration
Ananas Anam stated that Calvin Klein was “embracing its commitment” to sourcing materials with less of an environmental impact in a social media post announcing the collaboration.
It said: “Calvin Klein has launched their first knitted shoe upper, made from pineapple leaf fibers in collaboration with Piñayarn.
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“Calvin Klein has embraced their commitment to source more natural materials and lower their impact on the environment through using Piñayarn in this new Sustainable Knit Trainer.
“With a low-impact manufacturing process, Piñayarn is derived from agricultural waste and created through a closed loop production involving a water-free spinning process, while working to the values of circular economy.”