SFO Museum Exhibit Highlights Filipino Textiles in "From Pineapple to Piña"

Portrait of woman in María Clara ensemble  

Álbum de Filipinas (1870)

Courtesy of the Biblioteca Nacional de España

If you’ve traveled through the Harvey Milk Terminal (Southwest Airlines) in SFO in the last couple months you may have noticed the SFO Museum’s current exhibit- which is an homage to Filipino heritage’s Piña textiles- a woven fabric and lace made from the fibers of our beloved pineapple plant. 

The exhibit houses a considerably large amount of intricate archived pieces made from Piña- from traditional barongs, to full Maria Claras, other camisas, shoulder scarves, handkerchiefs and table linens.

From the introduction of the pineapple from Europeans via the Americas to the extraction and laborious weaving process, the exhibit offers a concise and beautiful account of Piña’s timeline in Philippine fashion history and highlights the stunning lace design and embroidery that was highly coveted by the affluent  in Europe and spread through the world as gifts to royalty. 

While production and weaving has certainly gone down in popularity in this century (due to the difficulty of production and people seeking less costly fabric), ​​it is still considered the finest of all Philippine textiles. Today, it is produced mostly by the Aklanon in the province of Aklan in the  Visayas.

Courtesy of the Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles

If you’re traveling through SFO anytime soon, make sure you take a walk through this mini-gallery and view these historic pieces. You’ll be momentarily transported into the past and may get nostalgic about your first barong tagalog. 

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.

The SFO Musuem credits this exhibition was made possible by a generous loan from Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. Via the SFO Museum website, a special thank you is issued to Jules Kliot, Storrie Johnson, Anthony Cruz Legarda, Habi: The Philippine Textile Council, and The Hinabi Project, San Francisco.

Portrait of woman in María Clara ensemble  

Álbum de Filipinas (1870)

Courtesy of the Biblioteca Nacional de España

Courtesy of the Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles

Courtesy of the Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles

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