From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure

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From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure  
New exhibition features piña, an extraordinary textile unique to the Philippines, which is made by weaving the fibers of the leaves of the small, hearty Red Spanish pineapple plant.

SAN FRANCISCO—The pineapple was introduced to the Philippines from the Americas sometime in the sixteenth century. By the 1570s, piña fabric production had commenced. Local inhabitants already had a long tradition of weaving fabric from plant fibers. Light and airy, piña fabric was perfectly suitable to the tropical climate and lent itself to intricate embroidery. The textile enjoyed a golden age during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Piña handwork quickly matched and often surpassed the most intricate laces popular in Spain and France at the time. It was made into traditional men’s shirts, or barong tagalogs, and women’s María Clara ensembles, which consisted of a blouse or camisa with bell-shaped sleeves, a pañuelo or shawl, and a long skirt or saya. Piña was also made into table linens, handkerchiefs, and other accessory items. Piña textiles, as well as the pineapple fruit itself, were coveted in Europe and considered worthy gifts to give to royalty.

This exhibition features a selection of nineteenth-century piña from Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles that illustrates the fine workmanship of early artisans. It also includes modern piña garments made by Filipino fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda.

This exhibition was made possible by a generous loan from Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. Special thank you to Jules Kliot, Storrie Johnson, Anthony Cruz Legarda, Habi: The Philippine Textile Council, and The Hinabi Project, San Francisco.

Visit sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/pineapple-pina-philippine-textile for more information.

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#PineappleToPina

From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure is located post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 of the San Francisco International Airport. This exhibition is accessible to ticketed passengers from April 16, 2022–November 13, 2022.

About SFO Museum

Established in 1980 by the Airport Commission, SFO Museum’s mission is to delight, engage, and inspire a global audience with programming on a broad range of subjects; to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the history of commercial aviation; and to enrich the public experience at San Francisco International Airport. The Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1999 and retains the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, SFO Museum features more than twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 140,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation. To browse current and past exhibitions, research our collection, or for more information, please visit www.sfomuseum.org. Follow us on www.facebook.com/sfomuseum, www.twitter.com/sfomuseum, or www.instagram.com/sfomuseum.

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