Balancing bold color, handcrafted techniques, and an innovative play on traditional silhouettes, abacaxi is South Asian-American designer Sheena Sood’s wearable vision.
Named after the Portuguese word for pineapple, abacaxi hybridizes a tropical spirit with an NYC lifestyle.
aba·ca·xi | \ ¦a-bə-kə-¦shē \
Throughout my childhood, we traveled back to India every few years to see family. That was where I first experienced daily life in saturated color. Those visits gave me a deeper understanding of my roots, exposed me to the richness of South Asian craft and design sparking an ongoing obsession with travel, textiles, color, and pattern.
My love for adventure has since taken me to places such as Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Peru, and Mexico. I explored and studied what I am most passionate about– Indigenous textiles. That knowledge of specialized techniques and craft is integral to my design ethos.
After a decade of experience designing for other brands, I first started abacaxi with a capsule of silk garments that showcased vintage embroideries collected in Rajasthan, India. Over the years, this creative project has transformed into a growing fashion label, one that allows me to tell new stories with every collection, and to create more opportunities for artisans practicing ancestral crafts that are at risk of disappearing.
My creative journey began as an artist, always led by color and a fascination with the ancient, spiritual and psychedelic realms. This continues to thread and connect my work through multiple industries and practices.
abacaxi garments make use of traditional textile techniques from India and around the world. Handloom weaving, mirrorwork beading, schiffli embroidery, and plant-dyeing are just a few of the processes involved in our productions.
Learn about our custom textile designs and see how they are developed in India, Peru, Mexico, and from our studio in Brooklyn, NY.