elizabeth esponnette harnesses nature to grow wearable chia vest

elizabeth esponnette harnesses nature to grow wearable chia vest 
all images courtesy of elizabeth esponnette

american textile designer elizabeth esponnette presents the ‘chia vest’, her latest wearable experiment. like other projects by esponnette, the work attempts to bridge the gap between man-made products and the natural world by mimicking biological systems. although impractical in a conventional sense, the ‘vest’ plays on the symbiotic relationship of plants and people, and benefits both in the process.

vest back 

esponnette began the experiment with a water-laden foam mannequin, on which she hung a muslin ‘vest’ pattern with chia seeds embedded within. approximately a week later sprouting occurred, at which point she reworked the pattern into its final form. as it is a naturally growing garment, the ‘chia vest’ can continue to grow with additional watering. 

the chia grew especially quickly in the hood of the vest, with its cool, damp, & shady conditions

planting the mannequin 

better sunlight coverage on top of the mannequin greatly increased growth 

the chia’s low water dependence and high yield attracted local snails as it grew 

a close-up look at the living soft goods

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.