If asked to describe the journey of creating Piña Designs over the past couple of years in one word, it would be “zeal.” Zeal represents the intense and fervent enthusiasm with which our team has pursued the goal of making sustainable living easy and accessible to everyone and to build an empowering, change-focused community rooted in sustainability and ethical principles.
Our story began the beginning of our senior year during a business capstone at the University of Colorado Boulder. United by a shared vision to positively impact climate change and fast fashion, we began to wonder how changing the design and composition of a frequently used household item could create real change. After countless hours of research and testing, our team found out that approximately 15,000,000 hair ties are lost or tossed every day. To put that in perspective, those 15,000,000 hair ties contribute approximately 25,000 lbs. of trash per day. That’s equivalent to 227,273 empty jars of peanut butter or about ten Honda Civics!
After learning such a staggering fact, we could not sit back any longer and decided that it was time to make a change. With the vision to make sustainable living the norm, we formed Piña Designs. At Piña Designs, our core values are central to every decision we make. We are guided by responsibility, striving to prioritize sustainability by reducing our carbon footprint and waste while actively supporting our communities. Honesty and transparency are paramount, ensuring that our practices are clear and uncompromising from start to finish. We approach each action with purpose, remaining intentional and environmentally conscious in all that we do. Lastly, we believe in kindness, fostering a respectful and caring relationship with each other and the planet.
Building on these values, we began developing the Piña Everyday Hair Tie™. Our revolutionary design is vegan, sustainable, and biodegradable utilizing a unique blend of pineapple fiber sourced from discarded pineapple scraps. The goal of the Piña Everyday Hair Tie™ was to not only be one of the most sustainable hair ties on the market, but to also help people eliminate their microplastic and excess waste trail by making a simple switch. With the current state of climate change, oftentimes one can feel alone and hopeless for our future. We are committed to addressing those concerns by creating a high-quality product that not only replaces traditional synthetic hair ties but also makes you rethink using wasteful options altogether.
Not only are our hair ties good for the planet, but they are also good for your hair. Our fabric's unique and natural fibers provide maximum grip with minimal friction, helping you prevent breakage to keep your luscious locks happy and healthy. Our hair ties are all grip, no slip, so they won’t fall out no matter how hard the workout class. Our hair ties will truly hold your hair up and never let you down. As a bonus, you never have to feel guilty about losing your hair tie, since The Piña Everyday Hair Tie™ naturally degrades over 2000% faster than its alternatives. Finally, the first ever hair tie that leaves you feeling good from the moment you buy it, to the moment it finally disappears.
During our spring semester, our team participated in CU Boulder's New Venture Challenge (NVC) where we placed fifth out of 100 teams and secured $7,000 in funding. During NVC, we grew exponentially as a team and as a business while developing our first round of prototypes. During the latter half of 2023, our entire team graduated from their undergraduate colleges and took a pause to navigate post-graduate life. However, our passion for the cause never waned.
In 2024, we hit the ground running by channeling our collective energy into the development and launch of our Everyday Hair Tie™. Eight months later our team is unbelievably excited to share with the world that our hair ties officially launched on August 23, 2024. This journey was one with many ups and downs, and we are so grateful for our supporters and the individuals who believed in us when many others did not. We are so excited to get our product into the hands of our customers so they can see how amazing sustainability can truly be!
Demonstrate your own passion and zeal for sustainability by becoming a part of our incredible Piña community. Place an order for our Piña Everyday Hair Tie™ today!
