Building Ecotopia: Clothes Made of Beer?

by Chuck Hall

Some of the most comfortable natural garments are made of linen. Linen is made from flax. Flax is another plant that needs fewer chemical fertilizers and pesticides than cotton. It does well when grown organically. Linen jeans are especially comfortable and durable, and many men’s suits have traditionally been made of linen.
A rather novel new approach to garment making is clothing made from beer and wine! In this process, the bacteria that ferment the wine are left to convert the wine into a vinegary substance. This slimy residue is then painted onto an inflatable mannequin layer-by-layer and left to dry. When enough layers are accumulated, what remains is a garment made of natural cellulose with a texture similar to latex. These garments have to be kept moist, or they become brittle and tear easily. The Bioalloy team at University of Western Australia developed this process and they hope one day to make the material durable enough for daily wear. So one day you could wear a shirt made of your favorite beer!
There are also natural fibers that come from animals. This is a somewhat controversial area, because traditionally the use of animal products has led to the cruel treatment and exploitation of the animals. If you don’t mind using natural fibers from animals that come from farms where they are treated well, you might want to consider some of the options listed below.
When buying organic wool products, check with the manufacturer to see how the animals are treated. In addition to allowing them to roam freely, consider whether they are given any growth hormones or other chemicals in their diet. Also check to see if they’ve been dipped in any chemicals on a routine basis. You can contact many manufacturers of wool directly to get this information. If they are unwilling to talk to you about their processes, you can rest assured that they’re probably not using organic methods for growing and harvesting their wool.
Traditionally, the manufacture of silk requires either boiling or gassing the silkworms to death. If this is an issue for you, there is an alternative. Tussah silk, a product of India, is harvested in the wild after the moths have left the cocoon. This means that there is no killing involved in the processing of Tussah silk. They also carry a great collection of natural dyes, if you’re an old hippy like me, and love to tie-dye.
There aren’t really any sustainable alternatives to natural fur or leather. Fake furs and leathers are petroleum-based, so buying fakes to save an animal is just trading one set of woes for another. Fur isn’t as much of a fashion statement as it once was, as more and more people become aware of animal exploitation, but leather might be more of an issue, especially where shoes are concerned. The good news is that besides being made of leather, shoes can also be made from hemp, cotton, or recycled materials. I have a pair of hemp hiking boots that I’ve worn on Appalachian trails for over a year now, and they’ve held up better than the genuine leather pair I owned previously.
As environmental awareness increases, the fashion industry has begun to respond. Major designers have begun to incorporate organic materials into their designs. Look for this trend to continue in the future. Materials like hemp and bamboo are enjoying increased popularity, but organic cotton is by far the fabric of choice for most green clothing designers. According to Organic Exchange (www.organicexchange.org), a nonprofit committed to expanding the use of organically grown fibers, global retail sales of organic cotton products increased from $245 million in 2001 to $583 million in 2005. This trend shows no signs of waning in the near future. Organic clothing is ‘in!’