Chapter 2 — full chapter
2.4 Biodesign: Designing with Living Organisms
As the Living Look illustrates, design enters a different territory when organisms or biological processes become active participants in the creation or functioning of a product. This is the field of biodesign.
While biomimicry learns from living systems, biodesign incorporates living organisms, cells, enzymes or biological processes into the development of materials and products.
This can include growing materials from mycelium, producing pigments through bacteria, developing cellulose through microbial fermentation or using biological processes to treat textile waste. The designer’s role may expand from selecting finished materials to creating the conditions in which materials grow, transform or decompose.
Biodesign can also alter conventional fashion processes. When a material is grown directly into a shape, produces its own colour or responds to environmental conditions, it may no longer need to follow the sequence of fibre production, spinning, weaving, cutting, sewing and finishing. However, biological origin does not remove the need to assess durability, coatings, additives, energy use, scale and appropriate end-of-life conditions.