Western Australian fashion student Fynnian Copp is one of the latest testers of a new “plastic-free not-leather” material produced by Australian biotech firm Nanollose.
Copp, who studies at South Metropolitan TAFE, produced several garments as part of the collaboration, alongside a haute couture garment (pictured) that was showcased at Fremantle Design Week this year.
Copp said the production process took well over 100 hours, primarily due to the testing and sampling of the bio-leather provided to him.
“The main lesson I learnt throughout the process was the importance of material testing, primarily testing the strength of the material when tension is applied as well as how large amounts of handling affect the material over time,” he said. “As I also utilised 3D printing, I learned the complexity of 3D design and how well it could be applied to design in the future.
“I’ve come away from the project with an amazing appreciation of bio-based and recycled alternatives to traditional materials as well as much hope for the future of the industry.”
Nanollose executive chairman Dr Wayne Best said the material provided was the latest version of the firm’s “plastic-free not-leather”, a working name to differentiate it from vegan leather, which tends to include plastic.
“One of the main points of differentiation is that most vegan leathers currently on the market contain plastics and we're determined to avoid plastic to ensure our material is sustainable and biodegradable,” Dr Best said. “Like our Nullarbor™ fibre, it's based on microbial cellulose, a natural product made by the fermentation of a variety of agricultural wastes and by-products.
“The fermentation generally takes a couple of weeks and this batch we made for Fynnian was produced in our Perth laboratory from a cask of Chardonnay.
“The material is still in development, and so we're only making it in the laboratory at a few metres per batch. However, the material may already be suitable for some applications and we hope to start making it on a small pilot scale early next year for some trials.”
Dr Best said the material is still in research and development and has only been provided to a few companies for feedback, including the likes of Hugo Boss.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Hugo Boss senior innovation manager of materials Josef Haerle called the material the most interesting innovation, and also echoed similar sentiments that it should have another name other than “vegan leather”.
Speaking on his experience, Copp said the bio-leather material was unlike anything he’d seen before.
“The material is thick, rigid and almost wax-like,” he said. “I had to take into account the different properties of the bio-leather; how rigid it is and how it retains its shape when you fold or scrunch it.
“The waxy and shear nature of the material is also interesting. The sheer nature of the fabric is quite striking. The fabric behaves completely differently from anything I’ve ever used before – you can’t really compare the bio-leather to other fabrics.”
In order to assess the way the material would behave, Copp said he first took samples of the fabric and sewed them to see how they would work under needle and thread.
“I also spent a lot of time working on how the stitching would stay up under pressure – that is, if it pulls or if the seams come undone, getting the tension right and also making sure the seams don’t split the material or make the material tear.
“I also had to test to see if it needed greater support during the garment production process. Also testing how the material stretches.
“I found that the fabric cut really well. It doesn’t fray and doesn’t slip, so it’s extremely easy to cut into a pattern piece.”
To cut it, Copp I drew on it with a leather pen to mark the pattern pieces. Once it was cut, putting it all together was a challenge at first, because it behaves quite differently to other leathers and hides.
“As I was sewing the garment and after quite a bit of handling the thinner parts of the material peel and stretch a little, for example in the zipped area of the bodice.
“I made allowances for that by adding a second layer of binding from the fabric and a little canvas. Because the fabric has a little bit of stretch it doesn’t tear and the stretch helps it to mould to the bodies curves a little. So the overall final fit is really nice.”