Biotechnology
In Fashion.
Innovations
Innovators
"Debera Johnson is Academic Director of Sustainability for Pratt Institute." that devotes time and research into the application of biotech in fashion. I.2
Executive Director
Dr. Debera Johnson
Director of BioCouture Research Project. She has worked to combine her fashion designing skills with biodegradable substances such as bacteria
Director and Designer
Suzanne Lee
Creator and Director of Circular Fashion Lab which brings together designers, technicians and, scientists to create clothing from natural and and biodegradable materials.
Founder and Director
Kim Poldner
CEO of a major biotechnology and fashion cross over company, that creates clothes based on the design of nature's own spiderwebs.
CEO of Bolt-Threads
Dan Widmaier
Vitrolabs is a company which explores creating garment with technology that aims to reduce our foot print and end animal cruelty. Learn more here
Co founder and CEO of VitroLabs
Ingvar Helgason
Renowned ecologist who studies marine biology and the way pollution affects it, is credited to discovering that synthetic fabrics are increasingly becoming food for oceanic wildlife in 2011
Researcher
Dr Mark Browne
Types
"Color has always been important in the social and economical context of mankind. It is one of the most important aspects of fashion and textiles, with a long history and remarkable evolution. Dyeing process effectiveness is, therefore, crucial to the textile industry success, attentive on how colors influence consumers. Nevertheless, dyeing methods are often associated with water waste, fossil fuel generated energy, toxicity and contamination, posing a serious threat to the environment and human health"
Alternatives to toxic dyes are Natural Dyes such as Lycopene a bright red carotene and carotenoid pigment that works as a natural food colorant and is suitable for any material
Enzymes
Innovator and biotechnology company Novozymes has created a method of spraying enzymes on jeans to create a lighter wash. As opposed to stone-washing this new process uses 80 percent less water. This creates a big effect on the environment, because according to novozymes "1.9 billion jeans are sold worldwide each year" I.12
Fabrics
Fabrics have often been at the center of the expansion of sustainable fashion, as many turn away from synthetic and polyester to alternative methods, biotechnology company have lent a hand to make materials in clothing more sustainable than ever before. A contributor to this is the company Bolt threads which developed microsilk a material that is "produced via a yeast fermentation that secretes a drag line spidroin protein and through a process called wet spinning, this liquid protein is spun into fiber, similar to the way fibers like acrylic and rayon are made".
Fungi and Bacteria
The idea of using living organisms in clothing may seem foreign to many, however in the field of biotechnology it is a brilliant and well founded idea that is leading the way in biodegradable fashion. Those who have expanded this are of fashion are numerous and dedicated to finding the most conservative way to construct materials.
Kim Poldner assistant professor and the research associate at Wageningen University & Research founded the Circular Fashion Lab where she and colleagues are currently delving into how fruit waste can be transformed into a sustainable leather
​
​
​​
​
​
Mylium is a Dutch based biotechnology company at Wageningen University which focuses on creating pieces made of mycelium this is made of microorganisms that grow a network of root-like structures, known as mycelia, that can be engineered and combined with other natural components to develop materials with different properties.
Suzanne Lee a fashion designer works with biotechnology company Biocouture to develop clothing made from bacteria, green tea, and sugar. In 2011 Lee gave a TED talk on her innovations and how although there are problems with the technology it shows a lot of promise in everyday application.