The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #006

Clothes made from seaweed or bacteria-grown fabrics are concepts that tend to be met with one of two reactions. Disbelief or curiosity. Do your eyes roll or widen? It is the curious that have become the dreamers forging this new fascinating industry of biomaterials. Research in a lab can easily feel removed from the larger vision for a product, yet once the innovations are brought out of the controlled incubators and sterile environments and are curated into pieces, wonder hits once more. Both Keel Labs and Polybion have each reached milestones that will hopefully spark the imagination of the fashion industry to embrace biomaterials as a viable option.

The Voyage of the Keel Labs’s Kelsun Fibre to the Starboard Vest

Kelsun is a fibre from Keel Labs, made from the molecular chains (biopolymers) found in seaweed. Keel Labs entrusted CONCEPTKICKS® founder Mr Bailey with the creative freedom to showcase the possibilities of Kelsun to the world. 

Mr Bailey took inspiration from the name of Keel Labs, which derives from the spine of a ship. Embodying this imagery, a reversible zip-up vest titled the Starboard vest was born. Filled with the Kelsun fibre, a padded structure resembling a ship’s ribs spread across the back of the Starboard vest with its twin on the front, giving way to the v-neck design of the vest. The design, which utilised a 50/50 blend of Kelsun and cotton knit, captured attention across social media. The response has highlighted the potential for products like Kelsun, with the Starboard vest currently a one-of-a-kind, with calls to make it available to purchase the item on social media.

Polybion announces public availability of Celium

Production at scale presents a significant challenge for many innovators. Polybion has successfully overcome this hurdle, announcing the availability of Celium, a bio-based leather, to the general public. 

Celium derived from cellulose produced by bacteria that utilise fruit waste as its feedstock. The facility located in Central Mexico has achieved a production scale capable of manufacturing 1M square feet of Celium annually. With designers gaining access to this innovative material, anticipation grows for creations that will emerge from Celium.

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