Textile Innovation: Reseach

Microbes

Dress Made From Wine - Donna Franklin and Gary Cass

In a collaboration with Bioalloy, the contemporary artist Donna Franklin and Bioalloy cofounder Gary Cass, carries out research for the University of Western Australia(UWA),
developed the fibrous cellulose fabric by introducing acetobacter - the bacteria used in the fermentation process of turing wine into vinegar - into vats of red wine. The bacteria produces cellulose, which is chemically similar to cotton, when grown in a solution containing glucose. Other alcohol such as beer, can be used in place of wine.

This microbial cellulose (produced) is chemically similar to cotton, therefor the garments are made from microbial cotton. It is formed on the surface of the wine, almost as if the bacteria are trying to form a raft to flow on the wine.

The resulting material is then draped over a mannequin and it shrinks to fit. This culturing technique allow the bacteria to form a three-dimensional garment that will be seamless. It can be formed to fit the wearer like a second skin.

While, it can be only model on an inflatable mannequin rather than a person, because when dry, the cellulose becomes inflexible and easily torn. This is because cellulose is made up of short chain links of fibers, making it prone to breakages.

Having chosen fashion as an outcome for their idea, the pair hope to provide a social commentary and promote debate within the field. Franklin said she wanted to "challenge people's perceptions of body-garment relationships and our relationship to the natural world and the commodification of the world."

BioCouture - Suzanne Lee

Suzanne Lee is a London based fashion designer working on fashion and future technologies. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the Director of The BioCouture Research Project.

BioCouture is a research project using nature to suggest an innovative future fashion vision. Suzanne Lee uses microbial-cellulose (composed of millions of tiny bacteria grown in bathtubs of sweet green tea) to produce clothing. The idea is to grow a dress in a vat of liquid'.

BioCouture recipe

"The recipe that I've been exploring to grow a piece of clothing is using a symbiotic mix of yeast and bacteria," Lee said. "It's a fermentation method that grows you bacterial cellulose. It's kind of like a vegetable leather if you like."

She adds:"What attracts me to it is that it's compostable. It's not just biodegradable, it's compostable. So you could throw it away like you would your vegetable peelings."

Fashion outcomes: