Creative Design: Undergraduate

Drink and Wear Kombucha? A Sustainable Approach to Fashion

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Abstract

The fashion industry is the world’s second major polluting industry. The degradation includes large amounts of textile waste filling landfills and use of chemicals. Sustainable designers use biodegradable textiles to bring their ideas to life. The purpose of this research was to construct a handbag made from biodegradable bacterial cellulose. With this product, the designer aimed to spread awareness about the negative impact of the textile industry on the environment and to promote sustainable textiles. Inspired by nature and its complexity, the designer experimented with geometrical shapes. The hexagon shapes were observed in beehives. The intricate configuration of hexagon patches were complemented with bees to mimic a honeycomb. The body and straps of the bag were made from bacterial cellulose grown in black tea and dyed with natural ingredients. This handbag was constructed to be unique and distinctive as it depicts elements of biomimicry, couture techniques, and sustainable textile dyeing.

Keywords: Sustainable, Bacterial cellulose, Natural dye, Cricut dye-cutting machine

How to Cite:

Sayers, M. J., Derafshi, M. & Hsiao, P., (2022) “Drink and Wear Kombucha? A Sustainable Approach to Fashion”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15926