LU Fashion Major Shows Off Vegan Leather He Grew in Dorm

www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=250102



"Through a fermentation process that uses water, sugar, green tea, and kombucha (a type of fermented tea created by using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), Quijano is able to produce a leather-like material that he said can be crafted into clothing"

"Quijano started his project last November, when he would mix all of the ingredients together in his dorm room and set the containers on the floor for a couple of weeks to cultivate....The fermentation process takes about two to three weeks, after which a solid layer of material about an inch thick forms on top of the mixture. When dried, this layer becomes the leather-like material that is able to be sewn together to make clothing."

 

Yuck!

Washington Post: Liberty University...Fashion of the Future.

"Luis Quijano....has been working on growing a leather-like material through a fermentation process that uses water, sugar, green tea and kombucha"

"Quijano started experimenting in his dorm room last fall, mixing ingredients together in large containers and setting them on the floor, where they would ferment for three to four weeks. He would take care...to cover them with blankets, so as not to disrupt the fermentation process. 'It can get a bit smelly,' said Quijano. 'Very vinegary'"

"As the ingredients ferment, a solid, inch-thick layer of bacterial cellulose forms on top of the mixture."

"Quijano will soon be making clothes out of his materials for next April’s annual fashion show at Liberty" but plans on moving on to "Queensland University...to study fashion design and microbiology"

Luis Quijano | Fashion Design Portfolio | Kombucha Leather