Bananas Down Under

Let’s take a break during a hectic week and talk about fashion that will drive you bananas.

  The Australian swimwear aussieBum has released an irresistible video promoting its Banana Briefs, which as far as we know are the first clothing manufactured with banana fiber.

  No, they aren’t mushy, but they do give new meaning to the term banana hammock—or whatever other term you may use in describing your skivvies.  The fiber actually comes from banana tree bark, which aussieBum sources throughout Southeast Asia and then combines with organic cotton.  According to the company, the fabric is lightweight, absorbs moisture, and has “good luster,” (whatever that means), and no, it’s not slippery!

  But seriously, this is a small step in addressing the environmental impact of banana farming.  We actually stopped buying conventionally sourced bananas several years ago after learning about the nefarious background of this slender yellow fruit.  Just five firms control 80% of the world’s banana production, not to mention the undermined governments, labor violations, herbicides and pesticides, and diminishing biodiversity resulting from global consumption.

  What always slays me about the bananas that you find in the West and East Asia is that they are so bland.  The bananas we buy in supermarkets are the dull Musa acuminata or Cavendish variety:  but there are hundreds of delicious varieties around the world—but they are disappearing as wealthy countries’ appetite for the Cavendish will not dissipate anytime soon.

  So, we buy organic bananas, if at all.  Once in a while it’s a treat to buy the tiny or red varieties at Latino or Asian markets, but it’s not that often.

No word yet on whether the Banana Briefs compost.

But to take your mind off of this depressing thought over this yellow fruit's impact on fair trade and the environment, you should at least enjoy aussieBum’s video!