Suzanne Lee: Grow your own clothes

TL;DR

Fashion designer Suzanne Lee uses a fermentation process with green tea, sugar, and microbes to create cellulose-based fabrics that are sustainable and can be customized.

Transcript

So as a fashion designer, I've always tended to think of materials something like this, or this, or maybe this. But then I met a biologist, and now I think of materials like this -- green tea, sugar, a few microbes and a little time. I'm essentially using a kombucha recipe, which is a symbiotic mix of bacteria, yeasts and other micro-organisms, whi... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔬 The fashion designer has shifted her perspective on materials, now viewing them as a symbiotic mix of bacteria and other micro-organisms that produce cellulose in a fermentation process.
• 🌿 The designer uses a kombucha recipe, brewing tea and adding sugar to create a growth bath for the living organism involved in the production of cellulose.
• 🌡️ Maintaining an optimum temperature is crucial for the growth of the cellulose, with the designer using a heat mat and thermostat to regulate it.
• 🔍 Bubbles appearing on the surface of the liquid indicate that the fermentation process is in full swing, with bacteria feeding on the sugar nutrients and spinning nano fibers of cellulose.
• 🛁 After two to three weeks, the fermentation process results in a sheet of cellulose that can be harvested and washed in cold, soapy water.
• 💧 The cellulose is initially over 90 percent water, so it needs to dry and evaporate, compressing and transforming into lightweight, transparent paper or flexible vegetable leather.
• 🌈 The color in the jacket is derived solely from green tea, and further experimentation allows for organic patterning and anti-microbial properties.
• 🌱 Microbial cellulose holds potential for various applications beyond fashion, such as wound healing, biocompatible blood vessels, and replacement bone tissue, showcasing the efficiency and sustainability of using microbes in material production.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Suzanne Lee's process of growing fabric differ from traditional methods of textile production?

Suzanne Lee's process of growing fabric relies on a fermentation process involving green tea, sugar, and microbes, rather than the conventional methods of weaving or knitting fibers together.

Q: What sustainable benefits does bacterial cellulose offer over traditional materials like cotton or leather?

Bacterial cellulose has several sustainable benefits over traditional materials. It is efficient in terms of production, generating no waste. It can be grown from waste sugar streams from food processing plants, and it can biodegrade naturally at the end of its use.

Q: How does Suzanne Lee customize the appearance and properties of the bacterial cellulose fabric?

Suzanne Lee can customize the appearance and properties of bacterial cellulose fabric through various methods. She can change its color using organic staining from fruits and vegetables or make it anti-microbial using indigo. However, she is still working on making it water-resistant.

Q: Besides fashion, how can bacterial cellulose be used in other industries?

Bacterial cellulose has potential applications beyond fashion. It is already being used for wound healing and may be used in the future for biocompatible blood vessels and replacement bone tissue. It could also be used to grow various products such as lamps, chairs, cars, or even houses.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Suzanne Lee creates fabrics using a fermentation process involving green tea, sugar, and microbes, resulting in cellulose-based materials.

• The process involves brewing tea, adding sugar, and allowing the bacteria to spin cellulose fibers, which form layers and create a solid sheet on the surface.

• The fabric can be cut, sewn, or molded into desired shapes, and it can be dyed using natural ingredients or made anti-microbial with indigo.