Fashion

Leather Jackets Made In Labs Might Be Happening

by Lindsey Rose Black

November 27, 2015

"Biofabrication" is a term you might not be familiar with yet, but you could soon be adding pieces to your closet made from the technology. As revealed in Grist, amateur scientist and fashion designer Suzanne Lee is out to create leather jackets made in labs thanks to the new scientific advances. In doing so, Lee hopes to revolutionize the world of fashion and the industry's impact on the environment.

Lee described her interest in biofabrication, which Clemson university defines as "the production of complex living and non-living biological products from raw materials such as living cells, molecules, and biomaterials," as purely coincidental. She was researching for an upcoming book, Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe, when she met a biologist and engineer "who told her that it was possible to make textiles using microorganisms."

After that chance meeting, Lee later became a TED fellow due to her amazing "home-grown" jackets made "from the bacteria and yeast found in a kombucha starter culture." She's now the chief creative officer at Modern Meadow, a startup in Brooklyn growing slaughter-free leather. The company is still several years away from creating a jacket ready to hit retail stores, but her garments could be the key to creating a world where harvesting animals is no longer needed to make hot moto jackets.

You can watch Lee's TED talk to get a better understanding on the whole process:

While you're waiting for Lee's jackets to become a retail reality, check out these faux leather jackets below!