Orange fibres, 3D printing: Luxury brands look for environmentally friendly biotextiles

ivestock production will be unsustainable by 2050, and will severely curtail both the consumption of meat and the use of leather in luxury items, says Natalia Krasnodebska, head of communications of Modern Meadow.

Her Nutley, New Jersey-based company is a leading developer of Zoa, an artificial leather that is biologically grown from a yeast that manipulates proteins from the ground up.

Krasnodebska acknowledges that “there’s always going to be demand for an Hermès leather handbag”, but notes how “more brands are recognising the potential in experimenting with other materials.”

She also notes how luxury brands have changed their tune about synthetic fibres. Historically, the maisons championed “natural” fibres and resisted using synthetic alternatives, despite their obvious advantage.

However, Krasnodebska says they were the first to show interest.

“In part it’s because we’re in a new era of demand for transparency from clothing brands, which means they’re asking the same of their suppliers,” she explains. “But it’s also because the top brands are now seeing the performance potential in what is really a new category of materials.”