“You can make garments out of these fabrics, and when you want to dispose of them, they are environmentally friendly and non-pollutant.”
“The anti-microbial and leather-like textile is grown by the oyster mushroom, which we culture and then compress to make fabrics,” Ayyas said. “We use dyes extracted from fruits and vegetables to colour the fungus, such as beetroot for the red colour or black beans for the blue.
“You can make garments out of these fabrics, and when you want to dispose of them, they are environmentally friendly and non-pollutant.”
Bio-Design as Part of the Curriculum
With overconsumption and mass production, the clothing industry has become one of the biggest polluters in the world. The production of a single cotton T-shirt, for instance, requires over 700 gallons of water, putting tremendous strain on the planet’s finite resources.
The Lebanese American University is the first in the country to introduce bio-design into its fashion-design curriculum, said Jalal Moghrabi, an adjunct faculty member who teaches the history of fashion.
“We work with students to develop their own biodegradable materials, bio-fabricated colour systems and bio-textiles,” Moghrabi told Al-Fanar Media.
“We spend time in the laboratory trying to grow mycelium leather from mushrooms and to dye fabrics with bacteria,” he said.
