FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

When I read in the news this morning that sweet potatoes and pineapples were hitting the fashion scene, I thought it must be a typo. It was not. The news story related facts such as how in southern China, silk is buried in the ground after being covered in a paste made from sweet potatoes. When the silk in removed from its sweet potato covering it is rinsed repeatedly, revealing a unique off-black coloration that probably could not be produced any other way save for some chemical coloration.

As I read this, I thought well that is actually interesting. I have used natural dyes myself to color some of the materials I use in making jewelry. Namely, I have used wild blackberries to colorize porcupine quills that are then used in earrings and necklaces. Besides blackberries, I have also used teas and coffee, along with dandelions, and a variety of flowers and plants to achieve a range of colors. Sweet potatoes were new though.

Reading further into the news article about using naturally grown produce in the making of fabrics and clothing pieces itself; I realized this was not something new, just a trend in the wake of the large-scale clothing industry to fill a niche with practices that have been around for centuries.

The article touched on skirts made of pineapple fibers called pina cloth. The article explained that the fibers came from the leaves of the fruit, hence the pina name, and not the fruit. No surprise was in order when the article further relayed that the skirts were nothing new, but made along a traditional line of skirts that originated in the Philippines.

Hemp, bamboo, fish scales, potatoes, and more were discussed as being the materials that were hitting the walkways representing fashion from the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris. The article made the leap talking about these niche products to the large scale selling of organic labeled products such as t-shirts.

While I realize the article was sincere, not the least bit making fun at the products discussed, I nonetheless wondered where designers think they are going to find a market for a skirt made of pineapple leaves? And yes, I know fashion show items are not really meant to hit the stores as is, just as a representation of the resulting products that might be one percent of what the designs were. By this, I mean they probably think that if they get enough attention on that skirt, this might give them enough influence to market a line of jeans, skirts, even jackets, that are made of a fiber that contains this organic material. All I could think of though was I wonder if it shrinks and how rough would a pair of jeans be against the skin if they contain even a small portion of potatoes, pineapples, or hemp? And bamboo was also mentioned, actually being compared to cotton, with the article saying that designers actually prefer material made from the bamboo because it drapes so well, fitting the curve of a human body well.

When I tossed the question of who would buy garments made of such materials at my daughter later in the day when she stopped by, she reminded me just how soft her hemp jacket was and that I bought such things, so if frugal buyer me would, why wouldn't the average consumer!. Her what? I did not know she had a hemp jacket, and what did she mean that I was the one that bought it for her? Then I remembered the sweatshirt! I had forgotten all about the sweatshirt jacket I had picked her up several months before. It was in a catalog that arrived in the mail, not sure if I had requested it or what, but there it was. The catalog carried supplies for making hemp jewelry mainly, but it also carried a line of organic clothing pieces made almost entirely from hemp. The sweatshirt was soft, washed well, and she had loved it.

After this reminder, I thought maybe a pair of jeans made from pineapple fronds was not that far a stretch after all. The next time you are clothes shopping and read the label of a jacket, t-shirt, skirt, jeans, what have you, do not be surprised if instead of reading 100% cotton or some rayon mix, the label reads made from pineapple, or made from sweet potato skins. You just never know!