Kombucha Clothing

Another post on growing furniture made me think: what else can we grow that I have been broadly overlooking?

So, I ventured into the world of clothing. Yes, fuzzy animals due pretty well and so do fibrous plants with fuzzy seed transporters, but what about just growing fabric, rather than yarn and from start to finish it takes a month with only 2 hours of your time? Oh, and you can drink the leftovers for health benefits. That's what the link below is about. It takes very little supplies too. It is not refined yet, so the fabric is clear and absorbs moisture too easily. However, I wonder if, once dried, it can be oiled and died to cure these problems. It might be worth thinking about over a glass of kombucha.

http://www.ecouterre.com/grow-your-own-microbial-leather-in-your-kitchen-diy-tutorial/

As an experiment a few years ago, I sewed some scobies into a pair of slip-on shoes (like Crocs). They are actually pretty tough and leather-like, but as soon as they get wet, they become slippery as eels (although very soft!) I have considered making a reverse last (a sort of shoe mold made from my feet) to grow a scobie inside so that it requires no stitching, but haven't managed to get around to that particular experiment yet. And, of course, there is still the problem of how to keep them from turning into something resembling a wet chamois. It needs to be something that will waterproof them without letting them dry out -- so they stay flexible. I think it is fun to fiddle around with them and could be potentially lucrative. Not to mention a great way to create sustainable clothing and footwear without some poor creature having to give up its skin for fashion! If I was younger and not so busy, I might make this into a major project, but I'm thinking it will have to be someone else's "vegan material of the future" at this point.

Here's an interesting video.  



Seems fun.    There seems to be an issue with moisture though.  Neat.