Squid Proteins, but Make Them Fashion

TL;DR

Fashion draws inspiration from nature through biomimicry to create self-healing fabrics, polar bear-inspired insulation, and invisible clothing.

Transcript

[♪ INTRO] Nature’s had a few billion  years to do what it does best. So it only makes sense that we  humans would want to take advantage of some of its greatest hits. Taking inspiration from or mimicking structures  found in nature is called biomimicry. And we do it a lot — for making things like  waterproof glues or wind turbine blades. But there’... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Fashion industry embraces biomimicry for sustainable and innovative solutions.
• 🤩 Mimicking the vibrant colors of nature without toxic chemicals is a key focus.
• 🐻‍❄️ Insulation inspired by polar bears and self-healing fabrics inspired by squid show promising advancements.
• ⚖️ Challenges in scaling up production of nature-inspired fabrics remain.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do Japanese companies Kuraray and Teijin mimic the colors of the morpho butterfly's wings in fabrics?

Kuraray's Diphorl fabric spins two types of polyester together with heat treatment to create twists that reflect light like the butterfly's wings. Teijin's Morphotex fabric has super thin layers of polyester or nylon that reflect different wavelengths of light.

Q: How do polar bears inspire an innovative approach to insulation in clothing?

Polar bears' double-layered coat structure, with dense short hairs close to the skin and hollow guard hairs outside, inspired Chinese scientists to develop fibers with tiny pores that trap heat, providing warmth like the bears in cold environments.

Q: How do squid ring teeth proteins influence self-healing fabrics in fashion?

Squid ring teeth proteins have repeating units with rigid and wiggly parts that attract and stick together under heat and pressure. Coating fabrics with this structure allows them to self-heal when frayed, even when wet.

Q: What challenges do researchers face in scaling up the production of self-healing fabrics inspired by squid proteins?

While genetically modified bacteria can produce squid ring proteins, they cannot match the quantities produced by squid, posing a challenge for manufacturing self-healing fabrics on a larger scale.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Biomimicry in fashion, like dyeing fabrics without toxic chemicals, mimics nature’s colors.

• Fabrics like Morphotex are inspired by the iridescent blue color of the morpho butterfly's wings.

• Innovations in fashion include self-healing fabrics inspired by squid ring teeth proteins.