Cellulose

Bio Iridescent Sequin

Within the current fashion and textile system, the embroidery industry is limited by unsustainable material options. Beads and sequins are industrially made from low-cost petroleum-derived plastic and consequently have become a ubiquitous commodity of our throwaway society. Sequins, loved for their shiny effects contain toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. They are leaking into the environment through manufacturing sites, garment factories, consumer use and ultimately their end-of-life disposal. Looking into consumer patterns on a mass scale, it is unfortunately also impractical for sequins to be recycled from the base fabric. Consequently, these tiny plastic components impose a huge environmental problem and contribute largely to microplastic pollution.

The Bio Iridescent Sequin manifests as a holistic alternative to the hazardous plastic sequin. Made entirely from cellulose, the most abundant plant-based polymer which is present in all plants, the material’s origin and compostable nature form a biological circle. Cellulose is a highly renewable, abundant and carbon-sequestering raw material providing functional, economic and environmental benefits.

Inspired by the way colourful beetle and butterfly wings shimmer iridescently and nevertheless is a part of naturally occurring biological lifecycles, these sequins give rise to colourful effects by means of their inherent cellulosic structure. Light hitting this structure is reflected into vibrant, glittering colours, a phenomenon also known as ‘structural colouration’. In this way, the Bio Iridescent Sequin is free of petrochemicals, metals or pigments and becomes a non-toxic and colourfast alternative.

This Bio Iridescent Sequin presents a major step for the fashion industry to transition towards the renewable economy, providing a healthier and more environmentally sustainable approach to shimmering colouration whilst not compromising on aesthetics. It reimagines the fashion industry’s material landscape through the use of renewable materials such as cellulose and innovates the preconceived aesthetics of ‘Sustainable Fashion’ to an identity that is more telling of the times we live in.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.