Nike launches vegan leather sneaker collection using pineapple leather

American footwear brand, Nike, has introduced a new plant-based footwear collection that features Piñatex – a vegan leather alternative developed by a company called Ananas Anam.

London-based Ananas Anam transforms waste pineapple leaves into a sustainable material that can be used in a number of applications, such as clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Nike released its brand new Happy Pineapple sneaker collection on Thursday, June 17. The collection includes 7 sneaker editions across five styles: Air Max 90, Air Max 95, Air Force One, Air-Zoom Type, and Free Run Trail Premium.

The Free Run Trail Premium will be accessible in the United States and Europe, whereas the rest styles will be available in Asia.

To give them their unique design character, the new summer models include “juicy colors” and an embroidered pineapple motif on the tongue.

Pinatex was created by Dr. Carmen Hijosa and uses much fewer resources to create than traditional hides since it is animal-free, whereas rearing animals for skin uses a lot of feed, land, and water, and produces a lot of CO2.

As part of Nike’s “Move to Zero” campaign and to capitalize on the fast-growing eco-friendly shoe trend, the Happy Pineapple collection will also include other sustainable materials such as natural cork.