Francesca Nori & Fabrizio Moiani
Vérabuccia®
Textile creator
Bracciano, Italy
When life gives you pineapples
- Francesca and Fabrizio patented a plant-based material from pineapple husks
- They bring their experience in fashion design and engineering into their work
- Their bio-fabric, Ananasse™, has applications across fashion and interior design
Francesca Nori and Fabrizio Moiani, co-founders of Vérabuccia®, found their innovative and patented bio-material made from pineapple husks through a happy accident. “It all started from a mistake. I was experimenting with new, plant-based materials, and I accidentally burnt some pineapple peel, which revealed its hidden potential,” said Francesca. The fabric, Ananasse™, is the result of a long journey, and the coming together of two very different creative minds. Born into a family of cinematic and theatrical tailoring, Francesca began her career as an independent designer after graduating in fashion and costume at the Accademia Costume & Moda in Rome. Fabrizio trained as an aeronautical technician and worked in civil engineering, and is the one who developed the technology and machinery behind the production of Ananasse™.
INTERVIEW
Francesca: Ananasse™ is a durable, flexible and highly customisable fabric made from pineapple husks. It is 100% plastic-free and is intended for the luxury industry, in both fashion and interior design.
Fabrizio: We collect pineapple husks destined for waste and obtain the material via our patented process. After drying and finishing, the semi-processed product is coupled into larger panels, which are customisable in size and texture. We use special tools and machinery for some of the work, but at other stages, the process is done by hand.
Fabrizio: In addition to all the pre- and post-production checks, I remove all the spiky, leathery scales from the pineapple husks by hand, one by one. Texture customisation through dyeing, piercing and other processes is also manual. We view Ananasse™ as an artisanal product.
Francesca: The distinctive feature of this fabric is its aesthetics. While other plant-based materials are intended to imitate genuine leather, Ananasse™ preserves the original appearance of the pineapple peel. Our goal is to highlight the organic waste we are saving, not hide it.
