How coral is inspiring eco-friendly clothing

Werewool identifies protein structures found in nature, such as the red fluorescent proteins found in several species of Discosoma, a coral relative. They then grow fibers that are reliant on these proteins, creating textiles with inherent performance properties such as color or stretch, without the need for toxic dyes, finishes, and petroleum based synthetics.

To learn more about Werewool and their nature-inspired innovation, visit:
http://www.asknature.org/strategy/a-protein-turns-sunlight-into-vivid-color
http://www.biomimicry.org/solution/werewool
http://www.werewool.bio

Art and Animation by Jules Bartl
Produced and Narrated by Ed Prosser
With special thanks to support from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.

VIDEO SCRIPT
Fashion is fickle - and this comes at a cost.

In fact, the fashion industry is responsible for emitting almost 10% of global carbon emissions

And the reliance on synthetic fibre production often involves the use of toxic dyes and chemical treatments which use and pollute vast quantities of water.

But colourful organisms have strutted down nature’s catwalk long before any supermodels.

So that’s why the company Werewool are taking inspiration from these natural trend setters to produce coloured textiles from naturally occurring proteins.

Proteins are the building blocks of life - they’re found in everything from skin, to hair and muscle - and the structure and arrangement of these protein molecules determine their properties.

Up first on the catwalk was the beautifully vivid pink of the Discosoma Coral - produced by a colorful protein that evolved to protect and feed a symbiotic algae that lives in its tissue.

The DNA that codes for this pink protein is inserted into bacteria which produce it safely in a lab - and this is then made into fibres - offering a low cost, sustainable method for producing coloured textiles.

Because there’s no limit to nature’s library of proteins - fibres can be designed with properties from the ground up.

By harnessing the power of proteins - Werewool are hoping to revolutionise the production of our clothes - with fibres designed to be 100% biodegradable - making clean fashion the naturally fashionable choice!
identifies protein structures found in nature, such as the red fluorescent protein found in the Discosoma Coral. They then grow fibers that are reliant on these proteins, creating textiles with inherent performance properties such as color or stretch, without the need for toxic dyes, finishes, and petroleum based synthetics.

To learn more about Werewool and their nature-inspired innovation, visit:
http://www.asknature.org/strategy/a-protein-turns-sunlight-into-vivid-color
http://www.biomimicry.org/solution/werewool
http://www.werewool.bio

Art and Animation by Jules Bartl
Produced and Narrated by Ed Prosser
With special thanks to support from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.

VIDEO SCRIPT
Fashion is fickle - and this comes at a cost.

In fact, the fashion industry is responsible for emitting almost 10% of global carbon emissions

And the reliance on synthetic fibre production often involves the use of toxic dyes and chemical treatments which use and pollute vast quantities of water.

But colourful organisms have strutted down nature’s catwalk long before any supermodels.

So that’s why the company Werewool are taking inspiration from these natural trend setters to produce coloured textiles from naturally occurring proteins.

Proteins are the building blocks of life - they’re found in everything from skin, to hair and muscle - and the structure and arrangement of these protein molecules determine their properties.

Up first on the catwalk was the beautifully vivid pink of the Discosoma Coral - produced by a colorful protein that evolved to protect and feed a symbiotic algae that lives in its tissue.

The DNA that codes for this pink protein is inserted into bacteria which produce it safely in a lab - and this is then made into fibres - offering a low cost, sustainable method for producing coloured textiles.

Because there’s no limit to nature’s library of proteins - fibres can be designed with properties from the ground up.

By harnessing the power of proteins - Werewool are hoping to revolutionise the production of our clothes - with fibres designed to be 100% biodegradable - making clean fashion the naturally fashionable choice!