Wine textiles all the rage this summer

Researchers in Australia have invented an organic material created by using fermenting wine

06/23/2012

The textile is made by using fermenting wine and is similar to cotton

Whole garments made from wine are now a reality thanks to the MicroBe project; research carried out in the field of biotechnology via the Bioalloy programme developed in the FNAS laboratories at the University of Western Australia. This phenomenon extends the influence of wine to the field of haute couture where it hopes to carve itself another niche.

The revolutionary fabric is made by using living microbes extracted from fermenting wine to produce a material similar to cotton. The cloth is created by adding a bacterium called ‘acetobacter’ to fermenting red wine to transform the liquid into cellulose microfiber giving rise to a cotton-like wine textile. During the process the material acquires a series of extraordinary properties of colour, odour, and texture.

“We hope that it will inspire others to come up with more creative pieces that will direct and/or redirect our future society”, stated Gary Cass, one of the researches behind the project. “Fermented fashion doesn't need to stay within the fashion world but can inspire new thoughts in many other disciplines, such as medicine, engineering, dentistry or architecture. All you have to do is let your imagination, creativity and ingenuity loose”, he added.

In addition to the experiments carried out using red wine, researchers have also obtained satisfactory results using white wine and beer. From now on wine can not only be drunk but also worn.