Biodesign: the possible future of fashion

We are being urged to reconsider what we eat, how we travel, and what we buy to lessen our collective environmental impact, which is frequently marketed under the term “sustainability.”

But shouldn’t sustainability be fundamentally incorporated into how things are designed and made if we’re going to drastically reduce climate impact on the scale necessary to stop climate change?

What environmentally friendly way to create houses, clothes, cars, and food? Following nature’s blueprint and incorporating biological systems into the creation of objects, according to a growing community of designers and scientists, will help ensure that they are symbiotic with our planet rather than parasitic or polluting it.

Let’s get deep insights into biodesign in fashion industry and how this sustainable fashion trend paves the way for a new industrial revolution.

Biodesign in fashion

Biodesign is the application of living things to design. Its procedures make clothing, textiles, furniture, and architectural elements. Incorporating biodesign principles into research and product development is becoming more common among universities, design firms, and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Recent developments include:

• Creating spider silk and collagen leather from engineered yeast cells
• Producing leather and chairs from mycelium, a type of mushroom fungus
• A substitute for leather made from coffee grounds and waste seafood shells
• A novel thread made of kelp and algae
• Glass made from vibrant invasive mussel species’ shells in Lake Michigan

Why is biodesign significant, and how are fashion and sustainability intertwined?

The fashion industry has a significant carbon footprint. 10% of all carbon emissions worldwide are attributable to the fashion industry, more than all international travel and maritime shipping.

Additionally, the dyeing of textiles accounts for 20% of all global wastewater (source World Resources Institute), and fast fashion generates 200,000-500,000 tonnes of microplastics annually (source European Environment Agency).

As you can see, sustainable fashion is essential because a dying planet cannot meet its demand. The last generations know that intertwining fashion and sustainability is crucial to recycling, repurposing, and reducing fashion waste. They demand environmentally friendly clothing like bio designs and are willing to pay more for goods produced ethically and sustainably. Millennials are searching for durable clothing. And if companies make serious eco-friendly efforts, they are willing to pay more.

How designers are integrating fashion and sustainability through biodesign

The fashion industry is increasingly embracing sustainable fashion and making robust bio-designed innovations. Yoga mats made from mushrooms and sneakers made from sugar cane are among the items that are marketed as carbon positive, organic, or vegan, and this trend extends to everything from swimsuits to wedding dresses. New business models that save the environment by recycling, reselling, renting, reusing, and repairing are promoted.

Think about growing your clothing using fermented tea, bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms that can turn the ingredients into eco-friendly fibers. Precisely this—biocouture was invented by fashion designer Suzanne Lee. Lee has been using bacteria in a liquid-filled vat to create bacterial cellulose. A helpful organic compound called cellulose is in materials like wood and cotton, but these are less resilient than their bacterial counterparts.

There are also other biodesign brands and successful cases that are reshaping the market. For instance, Mylo, made from mycelium, is a collection of mushroom hyphae that branch and resemble threads. Mylo is a sustainable substitute for leather because it is supple, soft, and less damaging to the environment. The top-notch scientists and engineers have made the novel material possible.

Designer Roya Aghighi created the Biogarmentry project in partnership with the University of British Columbia. The project’s objective is to create a biodegradable, photosynthesis-capable textile. A 100% natural and biodegradable textile purifying the air is the first example of the concept.

Jen Keane takes an organism-based approach to materials design, merging modern industrial textile practice with future principles of biotechnology, where microorganisms could help us replace synthetic materials. By manipulating the growth process of the bacterium k. rhaeticus, she has developed a new form of ‘microbial weaving’, optimizing the natural properties of bacterial cellulose to weave a new category of strong and lightweight hybrid materials.

Fashion and science meet in the creation of clothes. Biodesign in fashion is the real future of our fashion industry, where stylites and scientists will collaborate more and more. Innovation must continue to be at its highest level to lessen the negative impact on the environment; therefore, sustainable fashion is here to stay. With the emphasis that fashion and sustainability go hand in hand to keep the environmental impact of the fashion industry under control, advanced fashion designers are shifting their focus more and more toward biodesign.

If you want to deepen and introduce new materials into your project, we can help you. We research and monitor new solutions around the world to introduce them in the creation of more sustainable fashion. Write us > dress_ecode@icloud.com