The Queen of Philippine Fabric
In Tagalog, piña seda means pineapple silk and it has been used since well before the colonisation of the Philippines in the 16th century. Piña seda is often described as starchy, sheer and lightweight, perfect for all occasions in tropical weather. Each leaf will produce a variety of fibre textures. Softer fibres are used for textiles while thicker ones, which comprise most of the leaf, for household items like table clothes, linens and floor mats and twine. The pineapple plant itself does not require much water to grow, flourishes year-round and does not require the use of chemicals of pesticides.
Unlike the machinated and chemical-intensive production of cotton, or the ethical implications of killing the silkworm, the production process of piña seda does not consume electricity or petrol because it is manually produced with natural resources that are on-site and immediately available to the weavers. This keeps the production size of the textile small and the scarcity of the textile high, which in turn benefits directly the communities that produce it.
Read on to learn about how piña seda is prepared.
First, leaves from the pineapple plant are carefully selected, soaked and manually scraped with coconut husks, shells or pottery shards to extract the natural fibres, with each layer graded for softness and durability. These fibre bunches are washed in the nearby river then air-dried to further whiten the strands. Unusable strands are discarded from the bunch and composted, and the result is a hair-like flurry that is ivory in colour with a glossy sheen.
Then, the thousands of delicate fibres are the knotted by hand to create the thread which is then used to weave the fabric, another intensive process that requires skill and patience. Finally, the final product then bequeathed to the embroiderer.
With time and use, piña seda softens and the colour of the material matures to show its age. Piña seda rightly deserves its title as the Queen of Philippine fabrics.