biofashion

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DLab Artistic Residency

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In January 2019 I had the amazing opportunity to be invited for an artistic residency and workshop at DLab USFQ in Ecuador by my very good friend and amazing researcher Cristina Muñoz to work together on Biofabricated textiles based on starch and natural colorants.

Our collaboration began in 2017, through a collaboration fund from the Universidad de San Francisco, on biomaterials applied to textile fabrication that allowed us to work in distance as co-researchers together with a team of chemical engineers and designers from Ecuador. I was in charge of the methodological supervision in prototyping bio-fabrics and assessing the development of the biomaterials, the fabrication techniques and the product design. As the conclusion of the project, I was invited for a three week artistic residency together with a series of workshops and a public lecture at USFQ.

During the residency we explored  developed further the recipes of starch based bioplastics, explored natural colorants, codesigned a series of garments and established the fabrication protocols for producing them. We experimented with cochineal, since Ecuador has large production of this natural red colorant, whose primary constituent is carminic acid, that is made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects and is used to color food and cosmetics. (freedictionary)

The pattern of this soluble swimsuit aims to bring awareness around the “plastic floating islands” that travel in the open sea.

The pattern was made by using a database by the Sea Education Association showing the urgency

Floating plastic debris sampling in the North Atlantic, by the Sea Education Association.

You can see this data in this interactive map and read the article here

The different laser cut layers for the swimsuit>

Starch based Bioplastic with Cochineal (top + skirt)

You can find the downloadable patterns at OS circular fashion

Research references

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Materia Bruta/Worth Project

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Materia Bruta is a Limited collection of garments from new  and old biomaterials

Bacterial-dyed buryat modernised dress

Presenting a year-long collaboration with Surzana Radnaeva from Traditional Futures that was supported by Worth Partnership project. This garment was made from Bacterial-dyed linen using Shibori tie-dye technique. The design is inspired by Surzhana’s Buryat traditional costume «Degel». It directly relates to and nourishes her explorations within the Traditional Futures brand. This brand is about modernization of traditional costumes, and making them continue living, being worn and not end up behind the glass in museums. It is exciting to see how old things meet new things in harmony, I think its a right way to live.

Algae-based vest Charcoal-dyed and reinforced with wool fibers.

Surzhana loved the alien look of this material that she asked for this specific design the moment she touched it. I helped her get inspiration from the material, through the way it feels- and imagine the ready garment.
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Another piece that was produced during this project is Amadou fungi hat made by one of the last artisans in Transylvania. The design of this hat is inspired by Buryat traditional hat,  after having consulted Surzhana about fungi biomaterial producers. She combined the fungus material and the traditional hat design will the intention to prolong life of both disappearing traditions.

It was a great year of work to develop together with Jessica Dias from @formalisedcuriosities in the lab of @fablabbcn the materials for Surzhana Radnaeva from @traditionalfutures.