fermented fashion red wine dress made without a single stitch

‘micro’be’ bioalloy’ dress photo by ray scott

gary cass (a scientific technician at the university of western australia) working together with a group of scientists and contemporary textile artist donna franklin have been investigating the practical and cultural biosynthesis of microbiology to explore alternative methods of garment making and textile technologies. their ‘micro’be’ bioalloy’ project imagines a fabric which grows and forms itself without a single stitch. their mediums? red and white wine or beer, depending on the coloration of the fabric one wants to achieve.

the idea for the cellulose clothing came about when cass noticed a skin-like layer covering a vat of wine that had been contaminated with bacteria and had gone bad. the spoilage was a result of a colony of acetobacter, transforming the wine into vinegar. the by-product of this activity is the formation of the cellulose substance that eventually ferments in sheet form which the team then removes from the liquid, fashioning it into apparel, be it a dress or a vest. during its early stages of development, the micro’be’ material smells like red wine and feels like sludge when wet, however, the cotton-like cellulose dress ultimately fits like a ‘second skin’. 

alternate views of a dress made from the ‘sludge’ of red wine photos by ray scott

the formation of a garment created through the layering of sheets of fermented cellulose photo by bewley shaylor

detail of a fermented garment photo courtesy of bioalloy via CNET

via CNET