Sustainable clothing options are increasing for those dedicated to the cause. Luxury knitwear made from dead-stock yarns, one-of-a-kind pieces from unwanted locally sourced materials, and a synthetic spider silk parka are some of the latest options. The first product successfully made of synthetic spider silk materials is the Moon Parka. It took 11 years, 10 design iterations, and 656 gene synthesis designs to create it. Spiber, the Japanese advanced biomaterials company in collaboration with The North Face, created the prototype outerwear jacket and expects to deliver the final product in 2016. The product was a result of biomimicry and Spiber’s researchers were inspired by the extremely strong and flexible threads that spiders produce with biological proteins. The synthetic fibre used in the Moon Parka, called Qmonos was due to the development of over a decade. It is produced through an industrial fermentation process that involves micro-organisms producing proteins.

Spiber hopes to revolutionise the apparel industry with Moon Parka as a proof of concept for the spider silk fibre and the company has also set its sights on the automotive and medical device industries for future product development. Focussing on geckos’ sticky toe pads to improve adhesives and recyclability, Ford Motor Company’s researchers are also exploring biomimicry for inspiration.

Eleanor O’Neill, the designer with her Study 34 label is doing her part, where she hand-makes clothing using leftover luxury yarn. O’Neill buys the remnants of high-quality yarns disposed by manufacturers if there is not enough left to produce a complete line of garments. She buys in bulk and produces limited knitwear collections.