Grown Fashion: Animal, Vegetable or Plastic?

Abstract

T he observation that clothing provides us with a "second skin" has led some to question if our textiles of the future will be grown, rather than woven, cut, and sewn. This article considers three recent research projects that have addressed the possibility of grown garments through three materially and conceptually distinct approaches: the Tissue Culture and Art project Victimless Leather uses human and non-human cells; Suzanne Lee's BioCouture project is grown from plant cells; and, most recently, Helen Storey's Wonderland project works with plastics. Through very different means, these projects critique the reality of the textile as a second skin, propose the potential of fashion as a tool for education and self-critique, and offer alternative solutions to the volume of contemporary consumption. As a result, each project can be read as providing challenging suggestions for the materials of our future.

Documents of Socially Engaged Art

“…Wearing fashion was an unusual choice due to Finnish traditions when no clothing, or rather natural fibres, especially linen, cotton and wool, would be worn in a sauna (Veličkienė, 2016). Keeping the skin bare and free from covering by a second skin (Hemmings, 2008), is more comfortable due to the steam and sweat that goes along with the activity. Notably, both garments were uncomfortable as they were created from synthetic fibres, except the lining fo the foil bodice, which was a cotton blend and consequently fairly comfortable to wear in the heated environment.…”

Success in animal skin fashion in African countries or the boom of the wet market

“…Since the dawn of humanity, animal hides have been a common clothing material used by many cultures in Africa [ 1 ]. Our earliest known examples of dress have used the skin of animals to cover the skin of people [ 2 ]. The skins of domesticated animals were most commonly used to make animal skin clothing [ 3 ].…”

A preliminary study on the preparation of seamless tubular bacterial cellulose-electrospun nanofibers-based nanocomposite fabrics

“…5 Textiles companies have been actively developing and incorporating eco-friendly materials [6][7][8] and have considered animals, plants, and micro-organisms for the development of new techniques for manufacturing consumer goods. [9][10][11][12] Nature offers the best sustainability model because it produces no waste and natural renewable materials like cellulose, chitosan, polysaccharides etc. [13][14][15][16] are inexhaustible sustainable resources that possess biodegradable, biocompatible, and hazard-free characteristics.…”