In September 2023, 23 participants from a variety of backgrounds gathered in FabCafe Kyoto to learn how to cultivate bacteria through DIY methods. Bringing that newfound knowledge back home with petri dishes swabbed with pigment-producing strains, they embarked on a 6 week challenge to dye textiles with the bacteria. The results of this group experiment are displayed in an exhibition in Kyoto and Tokyo. For the closing night of the exhibition’s run in Tokyo, 4 of the participants will be sharing their experience and thoughts on the process.

Bacteria has been touted as a new sustainable dyeing process that promises to use less land, water and produce less waste compared to traditional dyes. In Europe, a number of fashion houses such as LVMH and PUMA have started prototyping with it, but few, if any at all, have started in Japan.

To find out more about this method, SPCS interviewed Julia Moser in March 2023. Moser is a fashion designer working with Janthinobacterium Lividum and other bacteria to design new textiles and apparel. Her work with the bacteria explored the possibility of creating intentional patterns with bacterial dyes, foraging bacteria from the wild and testing their performance as fabric dyes, and even roping the bacteria in as a co-designer to contribute pattern shapes and knit textures through their growth patterns.

More Information:
https://fabcafe.com/events/20231206_livingdyes_sharing