Nike adds pineapple leather to materials palette

In Oregon, sneaker giant Nike has introduced a new collection incorporating a pineapple-based leather alternative produced in the Philippines. The Happy Pineapple collection debuted on June 17^th and features some of Nike’s most recognizable styles, such as Air Force and Air Max. 

The material—called Pinatex—is produced by United Kingdom’s Ananas Anam.  The material is made from cellulose extracted from pineapple waste and requires less resources, such as land and water, to produce compared to conventional animal-based leather.  

 “Wonderful to see this finally being released…with one model in the Western World, and five more all over Asia,” Christian Kurtzke, non-executive chairman of the board at Ananas Anam, said in a social media post, according to Green Queen.  “Proving once again that Pinatex is the plant-based performance material available today for commercial collections.”