Puma dyes fabrics using bacteria
The German sports brand Puma is researching sustainable alternatives to manufacture their products. The latest ace up their sleeve is a biodegradable lifestyle collection.
The lifestyle brand Puma has been looking for ways to sustainably produce and dye their fabrics for some time now. With their «Design to Fade» collection, the brand now presents its third eco-design project, striving to reduce the disastrous environmental impact of the fashion industry.
For their trailblazing line, Puma teamed up with Dutch eco design duo «Living Colour» and Swedish design studio «Streamateria». The company from the Netherlands exclusively uses the natural bacteria that grow on the skin of red alpine newts to dye fabrics. These bacteria are taken from the newt and are fed a special nutrient that make them produce violet pigments. This pigment was used to dye the «Design to Fade» collection. Part of the line is additionally made of biodegradable fabrics, produced by Streamateria. Bioplastics are applied to printed mesh fabric, resulting in material that looks a bit like papyrus.
The lifestyle collection comprises six garments such as tops, a windcheater and shorts, as well as sneakers and socks. Living Colour drew inspiration from the T7 track jacket from the Puma archives, among other things. It’s a shame that the collection won’t be hitting the shelves anytime soon. This project is intended to illustrate the possibilities of sustainable production and how Puma can grow into a greener company. If and when the collection will be available is still unknown.
The name of this collection gives us an idea of how the products will turn out, because the colours of the «Design to Fade» garments will start to fade a bit after washing and wearing. There’s a simple reason behind this: in order to dye biodegradable fibres, the dye must be biodegradable as well. This is the compromise we’ll have to accept for our wardrobes if we want to help the environment. Puma is on the right track, and we hope that it’s only a matter until we can forego compromising, too.
When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.