THIS SUSTAINABLE ‘LEATHER’ COMES FROM KOMBUCHA TEA

The gel-like film, grown by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), feeds on a mixture of vinegar and sugar.

Young-A Lee, an associate professor of apparel, merchandising, and design at Iowa State University, says the properties of this SCOBY film are similar to leather once it’s harvested and dried, and can be used to make clothing, shoes, or handbags.

In a chapter of the book Sustainable Fibers for Fashion Industry (Springer Singapore, 2016), Lee reports the results of her case study on cellulose-based fibre. The material has been tested for other applications, such as cosmetics, foods, and biomedical tissue for wound dressing, but it is relatively new to the apparel industry.

The fact that the fibre is 100 percent biodegradable is a significant benefit for the fashion industry, which by its very nature generates a lot of waste, Lee says.

Learn more about kombucha leather here.