Biomimicry: How Can Nature Revolutionise Design

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, looks at ending hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. There are organisations that are building practices to reach these targets. So in our Masterclass on this topic, we spoke to a range of experts to learn about fashion’s impact on food sources, crop health, farming communities and local processing plants, alternative regenerative fibres for fashion fabrics, and the ways designers can support regenerative agriculture practices and a traceable leather industry.

One aspect of this is producing textiles from food, growing textile crops alongside food crops, and utilising byproducts from the agricultural sector. In this article we take a look at some of the talked about "food fibres" on the market today, and their pros and cons when it comes to sustainability and ethics.

The way we cultivate our land results in wide-reaching impacts on our environment and society. Improved soil health means less habitat desctruction, less exploitation, freedom from toxic chemicals and less factory farming.

These factors relate both to food production and textile fibre production and in this Lesson we learn how the two come together in the pioneering work of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) which counts Patagonia as one of its founding members. Executive Director of the ROA Elizabeth Whitlow, joins us to discuss the ROA's revolutionary new certification for farmers and why it matters to fashion businesses. 

This 17 minute lesson helps you understand what biodesign, biomaterials and biodegradability mean, under the umbrella of regenerative textiles. Cassie Quinn is a designer, maker and researcher under self-founded consultancy and studio CQ Studio. Cassie joins us to impart wisdom and clear up some complex terminology that is frankly bandied about within all industries as a marketing point for sustainability. But how can you actually utilise biomaterials and biodesign for a product that is supposed to last many years, for instance shoes, accessories or soft furnishings? Or what and how should you design if you want your materials to biodegrade quickly, such as with certain fast fashion items?

This is an illuminating Lesson that will debunk terms, give practical guidance on using biomaterials, and raise awareness on how they fit into current (and future) systems.

Designer, maker and biotech innovator Aurélie Fontan joins us to impart wisdom on how to implement circular design practices in your fashion business. Learn about what circularity looks like now for fashion, and speculatively what it could be in the future. Address considerations including materials, sourcing and manufacture, and if there should be special considerations depending on your product category.

Aurélie also introduces Mykkö, a lab-grown mycelium leather that supports local regenerative systems, and low impact slow production methods.

The guidance given here is practical and grounded in experience, so you can take it away already and implement it into your existing or startup business.