Biocouture – Revolution in High-Fashion. In an age of recycled plastic bottles jeans and solar powered

      Diane von Furstenberg bags, it was only a matter of time before someone turned bacteria into high

      fashion. Yes, this has been made possible by Suzanne Lee’s Bicouture prokaryote grown garments which

      are absurd yet beautiful. Suzanne Lee is a senior research fellow at Central Saint Martins College of Art

      and Design and the Director of The Bio Couture Research Project. The clothes are made from the microbes

      that are used to ferment green-tea. The microbes used here are non-pathogenic. By throwing yeast,

      sweetened tea, and bacteria into bathtubs, a sheet of cellulose is prepared which can be moulded into

      something, people can actually wear. It takes this very simple few steps for producing this eco-chic garment.

      After the cutting of patterns from the sheet, the pieces of the garments fuse together as moisture evaporates

           and seams are formed.

            Here’s the simple recipe of Bicouture. Ingredients used are –

            * 200 ml organic cider vinegar

            * 200 gm granulated sugar

            * One piece live Kombucha culture

            * Two green tea bags

             (Kombucha is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY))

               

      The recipe is to brew 2 litre of liquid. It is sufficient to fill a container of 20*17cm to a depth of approx.

      6cm. This will grow you a sheet of microbial cellulose the size of the container. Scale recipe ( and container)

      proportions to grow a larger sheet.

 

      Firstly, for brewing the liquid, 2 litre of water is boiled at 100*C in which green tea is added and allowed

      to steep for 15 minutes. Tea bag is then removed and sugar is added and stirred until it is dissolved.

      Then liquid is allowed to cool below 30*C. It is poured into the growth container and organic cider

      vinegar is added and at last, one piece of live Kombucha culture is added. Now, for growth and harvest,

      the container is covered with a breathable cloth. Bubbles and a transparent skin starts appearing on

      the surface of the liquid. Over time, the culture rises to the surface and a new thickening layer is formed

      on the top. Once the material reaches approximately 2cm in thickness, it is removed from the container

      and washed thoroughly with cold soapy water. After then the water is allowed to evaporate by smoothing

      it on a wooden sheet. Drying depends on the surrounding temperature and ventilation. When dried,

      it can be cut or sewn conventionally.

 

      Bioctoure although developed , is not a type of fashion to be worn on daily basis, as at the end no

      fashionista wants to go around looking like a walking infection.

      A sample of Bio couture is on display at the Science Museum in London as part of the New Trash

      Fashion: Designing out waste exhibit.