Dealing with ethical issues by removing the use of animal leathers within the Fashion industry.
Marie Melcore is a material, textile and graphic designer. These three fields allow her to evolve in a transversal and multidisciplinary context.
By developing them through the biodesign prism, she addresses environmental issues and the relationship between living organisms and design.
Marie Melcore is a material, textile and graphic designer. These three fields allow her to evolve in a transversal and multidisciplinary context.
By developing them through the biodesign prism, she addresses environmental issues and the relationship between living organisms and design.
BACTERIAL DYES
Category
Biodesign
Colour innovation
Carried out at
MA Biodesign
Central Saint Martins
University of the Arts London
Conducted with
Tutors
Nancy Diniz | Course Leader
MA Biodesign
Carole Collet | Professor in Design for Sustainable Futures
Alice Taylor | Lecturer of Biology and Living Systems
Shem Johnson | Grow Lab Specialist Technician
Location
London — UK
Date
Jan. 2020
Using bacteriology in Fashion to preserve our oceans. Dyeing with natural bacteria, Janthinobacterium lividum.
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Fast fashion has dominated and reshaped the fashion industry since the 1990's and has been a major driver of the industry's enormous greenhouse gas emissions and devastating environmental impact.
To protect our oceans and our ecosystems - one of the main issues of our century - we all have an important role to play, by developing natural and sustainable alternatives in our creative process.
Bacterial pigments offer promising avenues for various applications due to their better biodegradability and higher compatibility with the environment. For this project, we experimented with an aerobic bacteria found in soil, producing Violacein.

Samples evolution on 5 days | Substrate: linen, cotton canvas, tyvek, viscose, wool fibers and cotton calico.





Results of the bacterial innoculation after 5 days.


Dried samples | Results after washing.