They also face some challenges in getting people to wear the clothes on the streets, such as the smell of the clothes being too strong due to bacterial growth. Research is needed to overcome such problems.
British fashion designers have teamed up with fiber scientists to develop extremely lightweight clothing that resembles both leather and textile. The fabric used in this garment has been used to make shirts, jackets, women’s clothing, and even shoes. The British call it “tea shirt”. The reason is that it is made from tea, the British favorite drink.
Scientists have been committed to fashion development and design. They worked with Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the UK to develop this new fabric, tea shirt, which is believed to be highly practical. It can also be processed, dyed, melted and then generated New and different clothes, this is the charm of tea shirts. They are convinced that this innovative and sustainable fabric will become increasingly important as the development direction of the textile industry. And raw materials such as traditional cotton, wool and leather will become increasingly restricted.
The tea shirt they developed is made from a special mixture of waste green tea water, sugar and other nutrients. The green tea mixture stimulates the growth of Acetobacter-like bacteria in order to grow cellulose filaments. After two weeks of wear, the clothes become stronger and stronger due to the action of cellulose. During this period, they also added a large amount of bacteria to the cellulose tea juice to make it adhere to the surface of the clothes. After drying, the tea shirt becomes transparent, similar to transparent straw paper.
The project was developed by Su Zhanli, a professor of textiles at Royal College London. They worked closely with designers from Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in the UK. Professor Paul Freeman, a molecular biologist at Imperial College London, said: “Bacteria naturally grow to grow cellulose fibers, and these bacteria join together into clumps to become fabrics.” Of course, clumps of bacteria often cause uneven surfaces on fabrics. So scientists can come up with ways to make it strong and durable with a flat surface. This kind of clothing is as strong as leather when it dries, and it can’t even be damaged by tearing it with your hands.
Su Zhanli met a biologist a few years ago, and they accidentally came up with this idea during their conversation. She believes microorganisms can recycle cellulose and turn it into textile-like materials. From this, she thought about fashionable clothes being thrown away after being worn. Today, when sustainable development is becoming increasingly important, how should we dispose of waste?
After that, she found Professor Freeman and Professor Alexander, experts in materials science at the Royal College. It just so happens that they are also studying biosynthetic technology. That is, cellulose is made into bacterial sheets and turned into a kind of fabric. As soon as Su Zhanli put forward her idea, it immediately attracted the attention of the two scientists. Freeman said that Su Zhanli gave them room for imagination, and the two scientists gave her wings to fly. The materials used by Su Zhanli also made them incredible, completely different from their original bacterial cellulose materials. To this end, they worked together to establish the project and then looked for ways to enhance its new features.
As of today, they still face some challenges in getting people to wear such clothes on the streets, such as the smell of the clothes is too strong because of the continuous growth of bacteria. Research is needed to overcome such problems. Of course, mass production also requires setting standards.
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