Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

UK Designer Grows Clothes From Bacteria

Posted by samzenpus on from the my-shirt-is-sticky dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Experimental UK designer Suzanne Lee 'grows' clothes from bacteria. She has developed a method for growing clothing from yeast, a pinch of bacteria, and several cups of sweetened green tea. From this microbial soup, fibers begin to sprout and propagate, eventually resulting in thin, wet sheets of bacterial cellulose that can be molded to a dress form. As the sheets dry out, overlapping edges 'felt' together to become fused seams. When all moisture has evaporated, the fibers develop a tight-knit, papyrus-like surface."

7 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Sure you can wear it, but why would you want to? by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Aside from the novelty, this is basically just paper clothing. And paper doesn't look nearly as nasty of this stuff does. It's an interesting proof of concept, but doesn't strike me as particularly useful. Like hemp clothing, it will probably appeal to some hippie types who will like to be able to say that their clothes are made from green tea. But beyond that, not particularly useful for anything else.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Re:Sure you can wear it, but why would you want to by OneAhead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Except that it's not paper, which is usually made from ground-up trees. You guys should think further than clothing. There has been a lot of talk and hype about using bacteria to synthesize useful materials. More than anything else, this little stunt demonstrates that it's slowly getting feasible.

    The material in question might find some more useful application than clothing. If not, some other "biotech" material eventually will.

  3. Re:when you take antibiotics by jamesh · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You'd have to ask yourself though, why are these hot women taking antibiotics in the first place?

  4. Everything I own will be alive! by easterberry · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can wear this in my meat house. The future is here! and it is hella gross.

  5. Re:Sure you can wear it, but why would you want to by cerberusss · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And besides that, it looks like the stuff is not dyed. Without color, I really couldn't call this clothing -- at least not in the modern sense of clothing.

    --
    8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
  6. Re:Wearing living stuff by sam0vi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And what about a whole line of underwear and lingerie garments? Do you think the ladies wont mind that it's made with yeast?

    --
    When my Karma level reaches 0 I feel in piece with the Universe
  7. Re:Wearing living stuff by rainmouse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I wonder if its edible.