Komubcha Leather
Sustainability — BioDesign
Materials matter. Hugely so. As a single impact category, raw material production is responsible for more emissions than any other in the industry, as much as 38%. This part of fashion is also most responsible for biodiversity destruction and a host of other environmental harms. If we look at the data .. it’s clear that the fashion industry which wants to exist in alignment with the earth ...must accept that the production of both fossil fuel based and animal derived materials must be moved beyond. (Hakanson, E. (2023). Total fashion ethics. Heads and Tales.)
Aims
My task aims to explore how innovative materials like kombucha leather can challenge traditional approaches to fashion design by working with, rather than extracting from, natural systems. Through experimentation, I investigate the potential of bio design to create sustainable, biodegradable fashion goods that minimise environmental impact and waste. By focusing on small-scale, intentional production and embracing the organic qualities of the material, my project aims to reimagine fashion as a collaborative process with nature, one that prioritises sustainability, reduces overconsumption, and aligns design practices with ethical and ecological values.Fibre Properties:
- 100% biodegradable
- Less water and land to produce
- Regains moisture from the body over time, so it needs to be waterproofed.
- Takes over a month to grow adequate thickness
Concept Statement
This project begins with a question about how fashion might be approached differently: how design can avoid taking from the environment and instead work in harmony with it.
The fashion industry currently depends heavily on extractive, wasteful, and environmentally harmful materials and processes. The raw material emissions take up to 38% of the total emissions created by the fashion industry, according to Hakanson, E. (2023). These statistics lead me to investigate design movements that move beyond traditional notions of textiles and into more ethically viable production methods.
The speculative world of biodesign was the main inspiration for this project, drawing on the work of Suzanne Lee, a pioneer in biofabrication and kombucha leather. This project explores an alternative approach that considers the entire lifecycle of a design, aligning more closely with the natural processes of growth and decay. I decided to explore working with kombucha leather, a low-impact material grown from living cultures of bacteria and yeast, which has emerged as a potential solution.
The challenges addressed include the environmental costs of conventional materials and the lack of accessible, fully biodegradable alternatives in the fashion industry. While the discourse on sustainable fashion is growing and often focuses on carbon reduction, waste minimisation, and organic fibres, this work contributes by applying bio-design, where living ecosystems serve as both inspiration and material source.
Kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) grows on the surface during the fermentation of the drink. If dried, it forms a leather-like material that is strong, lightweight, and fully compostable. It requires less water and land than other traditional fibres, can be shaped while growing to minimise offcuts, and biodegrades naturally, making it a suitable choice for regenerative fashion.
Material experimentation played a key role in development. Given the limited resources and research on kombucha leather, a range of tests were conducted to explore waterproofing, pleating, dyeing, and sealing. Additional focus was placed on how the fibre behaves structurally and responds to stitching techniques. The slow growth cycle, requiring approximately four weeks to reach usable thickness, and high sensitivity to contamination prompted the creation of a controlled environment, which led to improved consistency and fibre quality.
The design outcome is a minimalist tote bag with a rounded base developed to suit the properties of the material. The waxy, semi-translucent texture and limited sheet size influenced the choice of a functional and organic silhouette that maintained its integrity. Along with the prototype are 6 swatches. These swatches showcase experimentation with the fibre itself, speculating on the potential design iterations the bag could morph into. The project addresses ethical concerns surrounding sustainability in fashion by applying biodesign principles that prioritise cooperation with natural systems. It presents a new way of thinking about fashion, not as a system of consumption but as one of connection, collaboration, and ecological responsibility.
The fashion industry currently depends heavily on extractive, wasteful, and environmentally harmful materials and processes. The raw material emissions take up to 38% of the total emissions created by the fashion industry, according to Hakanson, E. (2023). These statistics lead me to investigate design movements that move beyond traditional notions of textiles and into more ethically viable production methods.
The speculative world of biodesign was the main inspiration for this project, drawing on the work of Suzanne Lee, a pioneer in biofabrication and kombucha leather. This project explores an alternative approach that considers the entire lifecycle of a design, aligning more closely with the natural processes of growth and decay. I decided to explore working with kombucha leather, a low-impact material grown from living cultures of bacteria and yeast, which has emerged as a potential solution.
The challenges addressed include the environmental costs of conventional materials and the lack of accessible, fully biodegradable alternatives in the fashion industry. While the discourse on sustainable fashion is growing and often focuses on carbon reduction, waste minimisation, and organic fibres, this work contributes by applying bio-design, where living ecosystems serve as both inspiration and material source.
Kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) grows on the surface during the fermentation of the drink. If dried, it forms a leather-like material that is strong, lightweight, and fully compostable. It requires less water and land than other traditional fibres, can be shaped while growing to minimise offcuts, and biodegrades naturally, making it a suitable choice for regenerative fashion.
Material experimentation played a key role in development. Given the limited resources and research on kombucha leather, a range of tests were conducted to explore waterproofing, pleating, dyeing, and sealing. Additional focus was placed on how the fibre behaves structurally and responds to stitching techniques. The slow growth cycle, requiring approximately four weeks to reach usable thickness, and high sensitivity to contamination prompted the creation of a controlled environment, which led to improved consistency and fibre quality.
The design outcome is a minimalist tote bag with a rounded base developed to suit the properties of the material. The waxy, semi-translucent texture and limited sheet size influenced the choice of a functional and organic silhouette that maintained its integrity. Along with the prototype are 6 swatches. These swatches showcase experimentation with the fibre itself, speculating on the potential design iterations the bag could morph into. The project addresses ethical concerns surrounding sustainability in fashion by applying biodesign principles that prioritise cooperation with natural systems. It presents a new way of thinking about fashion, not as a system of consumption but as one of connection, collaboration, and ecological responsibility.