Piña

Close-up view of the embroidery on abarong tagalog made with piña fiber
Type	Fiber
Material	Pineapple leaf
Production process	Craft production
Place of origin	Philippines
Introduced	17th century

Piña (Tagalog pronunciation:[pɪˈnja]pi-NYAH) is a traditionalPhilippine fiber made from the leaves of thepineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace-like luxury textiles known asnipis fabric. The name is derived from Spanishpiña, meaning "pineapple".

Pineapples were introduced by the Spanish to the Philippines during theSpanish colonial era. Thecultivar now known as'Red Spanish' [es] began to be cultivated for the textile industry as early as the 17th century. The extraction and weaving techniques were direct adaptations of the native weaving traditions usingabacá fiber, which has a similar texture. Piña were woven into lustrous lace-likenipis fabrics usually decorated with intricate floral embroidery known ascalado andsombrado.^[1][2]

Piña fabric was a luxury export from the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period and gained favor among European aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries.Nipis fabrics were esteemed as exotic and sumptuous. Notable uses by royalty include thebaptismal gown ofKing Alfonso XIII presented as a gift byPope Pius X (now in theMuseo del Traje); a piña handkerchief given as a wedding gift toPrincess Alexandra of Denmark on her marriage toKing Edward VII; as well as apetticoat andundergarment forQueen Victoria. An unfinishedMaria Clara gown was also commissioned by the Marquis of Yriarte (then Governor ofLaguna) intended forQueen Isabella II, whoabdicated in 1870.^[3] Numerous examples of 19th century embroidered piña textiles are in the collections of various museums around the world, although their history remains understudied in academic literature.^[4] Examples of pieces with motifs representing scenes of Philippine lives and culture were available as souvenirs for travelers around the turn of the 19th to 20th century.^[5]

Domestically, they were used to make the traditionalbarong tagalog,baro't saya, andtraje de mestiza clothing of the Filipino upper class, as well as women'spañuelos. They were favored for their light and breezy quality, which was ideal in the hot tropical climate of the islands. The industry was largely destroyed as a result of theJapanese occupation in theSecond World War, and has been the subject of revival efforts since the 1960s.^[1][2][6]

Numerous pineapple-based dishes were also developed in the Philippines as a result of the pineapple textile industry. These include traditional ingredients and dishes likepineapple vinegar,hamonado,afritada, andpininyahang manok. Another notable by-product is a traditional jelly-like dessert callednata de piña, which has been produced in the Philippines since the 18th century.^[7]

Since piña is from a leaf, the leaf has to be cut first from the plant. Then the fiber is pulled or split away from the leaf. Most leaf fibers are long and somewhat stiff. Each strand of the piña fiber is hand scraped and is knotted one by one to form a continuous filament to be handwoven and then made into a piña cloth.^[8]

• 
  Scraping a pineapple leaf to reveal the fibers
• 
  Preparing fibres for weaving
• 
  Traditional piña weaving
• 
  Traditional piña weaving

Kalibo,Aklan, is the main and the oldest manufacturer/weaver of piña cloth in the Philippines which are being exported to various parts of the world most particularly North America and Europe.^[9] Piña weaving is an age-old tradition which was recently revived in the past 20 years.

Pineapple silk was considered the queen of Philippine fabrics and is considered the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite. During the 1996APEC summit held in the Philippines, world leaders donnedbarong tagalog made of piña sourced fromKalibo during the group photo.

Producers include La Herminia Piña Weaving Industry,^[10] Malabon Pina Producers and Weavers Association, Reycon's Piña Cloth and Industry, and Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation.^[11]

Piña fabric is characterized by being lightweight but stiff, with a sheer appearance and a smooth silk-like texture. In modern times, it is predominantly used in the making ofbarong tagalog,baro't saya, and other traditional formal wear in thePhilippines. It is also used for table linens, bags, mats and other clothing items.

Piña handloom weaving was nominated toUNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2023.^[11] The decision was made at the 18th Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held inKasane,Botswana, on 5–8 December 2023.^[12]

• 
  Early 19th centurypañuelo in theMetropolitan Museum of Art made from piña andlinen
• 
  19th century cotton and piña textile in theCooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
• 
  19th century handkerchief made from piña with cotton embroidery
• 
  Handkerchief embroidery detail of cultural scenes
• 
  19th centurybarong tagalog made from piña and cotton
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  Early 19th century stripedbarong tagalog made from piña
• 
  Early 19th centurycamisa (women's blouse) made from piña and cotton
• 
  19th centurypañuelo with silk andsilver thread embroidery
• 
  Mid-19th century piñabarong tagalog with patterns
• 
  Heritage $1,160Raquel EliserionaturalAklan Piña fibre^[13]

• Abacá
• Hablon
• Batik
• Inabel
• Malong
• Nata de piña
• Piñatex
• Tapis
• T'nalak

• Media related toPiña (fiber) at Wikimedia Commons
• Piña handloom weaving, UNESCO

• Woven fabrics
• Fiber plants
• Tropical agriculture
• Pineapples
• History of Asian clothing
• Philippine handicrafts

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from September 2021
• Pages with Tagalog IPA
• Commons category link from Wikidata