# Bacterial Fabric Suzanne Lee "Grows" Whacked-Out Garments from Microbes By Tiana Reid | Published 2010-07-13 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/suzanne-lee References: [biocouture](http://www.biocouture.co.uk/) London-based designer Suzanne Lee is a senior research fellow at the School of Fashion & Textiles at Central Saint Martins, who designs [clothing out of bacteria](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brewed-protein). Yup, that's right. For her process, she uses a blend of bathtubs, yeast, bacteria and sweetened green tea. The end product resembles dried animal skin. Suzanne Lee is part of a research project called BioCouture, which strives to address [sustainability in the fashion industry](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mycoworks-reishi) by using a [laboratory-grown bacterial cellulose](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scoby). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 42% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Bacterial Textiles:** The use of bacteria to create textiles is a disruptive innovation opportunity for the fashion industry - **Sustainable Fashion:** Using laboratory-grown bacterial cellulose presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for sustainable fashion practices - **Bio-based Materials:** The use of microbial cellulose in creating textiles and fashion presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the development of bio-based materials ### Who This Affects Most - **Fashion:** The fashion industry can benefit from using sustainable and bio-based materials in their products such as those produced with bacterial cellulose - **Biotechnology:** Bacteria-based fabric research can create new opportunities for the biotechnology sector to develop sustainable and bio-based materials - **Textile:** Developing microbial cellulose for textile production presents an opportunity to disrupt the textile industry and reduce its environmental impact ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Grown Microbial-Woven Fabrics](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/compostable-fabric.md) - [Organic Light Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lapso.md) - [Biobased Clothing Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/c-collection.md) - [Bio-Leather Fungal Protectants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fungal-coating.md) - [Avant-Garde Biomimicry Fashion Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biomimicry-fashion.md) - [Biodesign-Backed Dresses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gozen-x-beymen.md) - [Kombucha By-Product-Formed Leathers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scoby.md) - [Lab-Grown Fibre Scarves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burberry-b-shield-scarf.md) - [Probiotic-Infused Athleisure](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/coperni-c-collection.md)