The conversation around sustainability in fashion is evolving, with a growing focus on regenerative materials and closed-loop production systems. But what if the next frontier of textile innovation was hiding in our kitchen scraps?
Enter Waste to Wear, an inspiring project by an MA Fashion Futures graduate Ella Tomlinson, who is challenging conventional material sourcing by transforming local food waste into compostable garments. Collaborating with renowned London restaurant Mangal II, they have developed a biomaterial apron that not only serves a functional purpose in the kitchen but can also return to nature at the end of its life—completely breaking away from the linear model of textile waste.
In this exclusive interview, we explore the creative process, the challenges of developing biomaterials from food waste, and the future of regenerative fashion. Could compostable textiles be the next big step towards a truly circular fashion industry? Let’s find out.
Prior to studying MA in Fashion Futures at LCF, my background was in structural engineering, and so naturally I have always been interested in materials, waste products, and their environmental impact. Through this, I wanted to take a multidisciplinary approach, combining my skill set in engineering with my love of textiles. I was initially inspired by the book Radical Matter: Rethinking Materials for a Sustainable Future by Kate Franklin, which highlights that, to push for a sustainable future in design, ‘makers become alchemists, designers become scientists, and artisans become social entrepreneurs’.
My project, Waste to Wear, explores how we can use waste products to create alternative textile materials, with an emphasis on ensuring the materials can be composted at the end of their life cycle. Historically, we have utilised the materials available to us to create garments, and at its core, this approach should encourage local sourcing, modern creativity, and closed-loop systems.
Initially, I prototyped the biomaterials using food waste from cafés and supermarkets local to me. However, I wanted to see what the response would be from a more established and ‘high-end’ food source. So, I reached out to Mangal II, and their response wasn’t what I had expected, as they shared that they, too, had been trying to find environmentally responsible ways to repurpose their food waste.
We then discussed waste collections from their restaurant, and throughout the prototyping phase, I continuously shared my samples with them to create the best possible material outcome based on their feedback regarding wearability, waterproofing, and overall design.
Something I learnt from this process was that when designers, suppliers, and craftsmen recognise the potential to collaborate with larger brands for waste streams through a project like this, it could open up new possibilities for creating more responsible textiles.
Completely! To begin with, I experimented with YouTube recipes, many of which failed. It wasn’t until I completed a workshop with the bio-designer Alicia Valdés that I started successfully creating the materials. I think that in any sector of design you are not completely familiar with, it is crucial to speak with and learn from other experienced designers.
Another obstacle I had to overcome was learning how to sew with a material I had never used before. The staff at LCF were extremely helpful, as the material I worked with was very similar to leather, so we used specialist machines for this.
The apron itself is composed of bio-friendly materials such as vegetable glycerine, fruit pectin, and dehydrated food waste—these form the base of the material. I then incorporated other components, such as raw wool waste from Fibershed and waste organic cotton from the university fabric room, to act as a structural base. Additionally, a calcium carbonate spray serves as a sealant.
I was able to conduct sample testing for its end-of-life decomposition in a compost bin, and the biomaterials composted well alongside other food waste. However, cotton takes, on average, a year to biodegrade, so I have yet to see the material’s full potential. I hope that even the early stages of decomposition can demonstrate the potential of alternative textiles without the need for added polymers.
Despite the amazing qualities of organic fabrics, unfortunately they still require a lot of land, water and high costs to produce materials such as cotton or wool. On the same note, recycling fabrics can be fantastic and should be highly encouraged, however many used clothing may contain synthetic fibers and will eventually seep into our eco-systems through micro-plastics.
So, whilst it is important, when thinking about creating new sustainable materials the ‘end of life’ needs to be where designers shift their attention, and regenerative textiles have the ability to continue circularity from ‘soil to soil’.
My dream would be to continue to work to push forward future thinking in fashion production and the life cycle of our garments. Working in a multidisciplinary space allows you to see fashion through an alternative lens and its positive impacts, so I would like to work in sustainable textile innovation and hopefully open the industry's eyes to the potential of biomaterials. “Today's waste is tomorrows raw material” - Franklin, (2019)