Sustainable Fashion Materials

Our Research

Everything we wear is made from the materials found in the world around us. Fashion has drawn from nature both as a source of aesthetic inspiration and for the use of its raw materials. We make fashion derived from plants and animals along with petroleum that’s extracted from the environment. The fashion industry's thirst for petroleum-based materials has resulted in pollution, waste, and the depletion of finite resources.

The Sustainable Fashion Materials stream probes the shift towards a more sustainable model by embarking on exploratory research to develop samples that can be designed into products for the textiles and apparel industry. From this, we aim to create bio-textile samples that have the potential to be scaled and used as alternative fabric choices for the fashion industry.

Our Strategy

Sustainable Fashion Materials Researchers will focus on:

1. Designing & replicating experiments that incorporate methods of biomaterial development,
2. Performing new processes and methods of experiments to create biomaterials,
3. Developing an exploratory prototype of a product to showcase the material in a
   fashion form.

Our Impact

The foundation of circular fashion products lies in material innovation. Since product design accounts for up to 80% of a garment's environmental impact, designers hold immense responsibility. The fashion industry's heavy reliance on petroleum-based materials, consuming millions of barrels annually, highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Our stream is actively experimenting with various methods and processes to develop innovative textiles and plastic materials to replace the current toxic versions on the market.