In the fashion sector, seaweed promises an avalanche of innovations. Among them, that of “living” clothing which is able to adapt to variations in the body. And to regenerate as if by a miracle.
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Imagine that jeans that have become too tight adapts to your new shapes, that a t-shirt with holes regenerates itself in a few days, that pants start to grow on their own to accompany the growth of the youngest or that your dress out of fashion never ends up in the trash again. Utopian concepts? Even a little crazy? Perhaps, but credible enough to be explored by researchers.
Almost everywhere in the world, studies are multiplying on these questions and display “biotextile” or “living textile” formulas making possible a world where clothing is created by itself, or almost. And where clothing will no longer be a source of polluting waste, because it is capable of decomposing into compost or of being pampered for a long time like a living being.
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The algae that changes everything
The star material that legitimizes this projection is none other than an algae which, according to American and Dutch researchers, could make it possible to produce durable and “living” clothes, among other things. Its resistant and resilient properties would also suggest a utility for medical purposes or space exploration.
More concretely, it takes the form of a powder called bacterial cellulose which would give the appearance of a tissue capable of “surviving stably for at least three days without nutrients”, detail the scientists whose study was published in review Advances Materials. Its lifespan is prolonged thanks to photosynthesis, a process by which the plant develops its own food by absorbing water, light produced by the sun and carbon dioxide which it releases into oxygen. Henceforth, place for the magic of nature: the garment would have any capacity to regenerate itself. Understand, to copy the shape of a changing body, or even to fill a hole if it were to appear.
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Biodegradable flip flops
The seaweed also displays ecological virtues and could well be the revolutionary material that we were waiting for to replace the cotton (voracious in water) or the polyester (very polluting) of our clothes. Many believe the material will soon be democratized, like Stephen Mayfield, a professor of biological sciences at UC San Diego who made biodegradable flip-flops. According to him, the seaweed, especially in textiles, is today on the same path as electric vehicles ten years ago. “It was clear that they represented the future of transport, we just had to give them time”, he confided to CNN in September 2020.
A jacket to purify the air
Roya Aghighi also believes in it. This Iranian-Canadian designer looked at the subject of clothing made from algae cells with the help of the University of British Columbia (UBC). She has developed a transparent, speckled fabric aimed at purifying the air around her. Everything is still only at the prototype stage; hers took the form of a living jacket that uses photosynthesis (the process of which was explained above). But the designer does not budge: this is an effective innovation to reduce the carbon impact generated by the textile industry, responsible for 10% of global emissions today. All that remains is to convince the investors to make the project accessible to the general public. And soon to be driving an electric car wearing a self-regenerating suit?
