Bio-couture, the next-gen Haute Couture

Microbes are the “factories of the future” - says Suzzane Lee , Fashion Innovator who grows clothing in the Laboratory.

Imagine you could grow your own clothes, using fermented tea, bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms that can spin the ingredients into eco-friendly fibers. This is exactly what fashion designer Suzanne Lee pioneered. She investigated the possibility of creating clothing through the use of microbial cellulose. For this research project Lee coined the term Biocouture, which transitioned to a biocreative consultancy some years ago. Today, she is the Creative Director of Modern Meadow Inc, an innovative New York-based team of scientists, engineers, designers and artisans developing cultured animal products and exploring new ways to create sustainable animal materials, such as lab-grown leather. Lee is also founder of Biofabricate, the leading event for the field of design, biology and technology, focused on the emerging world of grown materials."Biocouture started as an academic project back in 2004.

You need to be able to deliver a fibre that is either much cheaper than existing materials, highly unlikely, or it has to have some pretty advanced performance features for which people are willing to pay a premium. No-one can answer that question until they have scaled a market ready product to commercial level. But one thing is for sure, these materials, like all new technologies, will enter at the luxury end of the market before they can be scaled to sufficient volumes to bring the price down.

These clothes aren’t made of bacteria, a common misinterpretation. Ever thought about where that beautiful luxury fibre silk comes from? Once understood how eco-friendly this process is, compared to what is currently available, people are amazed, inspired and keen to either buy something for themselves or grow something for themselves.

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