Living dress in motion: Sustainability and science narrative

Where biology meets couture – the rise of garments that breathe, grow, and evolve.

The future is alive: Redefining sustainability in fashion

Fashion is no longer just about fabrics and form – it’s becoming a living, breathing ecosystem. As conversations around the climate crisis and ethical production reach a tipping point, a new wave of designers, scientists, and technologists is working together to reimagine sustainability through biology. The result? Living fashion.

From self-healing garments to photosynthetic fabrics, the idea of a “living dress” is moving out of sci-fi and onto the runway. It’s not just about what we wear, but what our clothes do – how they interact with us, the environment, and even regenerate themselves.

Biodesign meets the runway

In recent years, innovators like Post Carbon Lab have developed clothing that captures carbon through microbial coating, while Modern Synthesis grows textile materials using bacterial nanocellulose. Iris van Herpen’s kinetic couture, often inspired by natural organisms and shaped through computational design, offers another dimension: A blend of performance, fluidity, and science.

These are more than garments. They are living systems – symbiotic partners with the body, reflecting a radical shift in how we define sustainability. No longer is it just about recycling or reducing waste. It’s about designing with nature, not against it.

The science narrative: Biofabrication and circular systems

Living fashion is rooted in the science of biofabrication. Materials like mycelium (mushroom roots), algae, bacteria, and spider silk are now being engineered into viable textiles. They require less water, fewer chemicals, and in many cases, decompose naturally without harm to the environment.

This is a new narrative of sustainability: Not static, but symbiotic. Not linear, but circular. Rather than producing and discarding, we grow, evolve, and regenerate.

Some experiments go even further. MIT’s Living Muslin project explored responsive garments that ventilate when the body overheats. Designers are asking: Can a dress regulate temperature? Could it photosynthesise to offset its own carbon footprint?

Fashion as living intelligence

There is a poetic tension in the idea of clothing that thinks, feels, or responds. In an era where wearables are already tracking our steps and sleep cycles, the leap toward garments that collaborate with nature is a surprisingly organic progression.

At Digital Fashion Week, we see this as a pivotal point: Where fashion transforms from a passive object to an interactive organism. These innovations challenge fast fashion’s throwaway culture and offer a compelling alternative: Slow, intelligent, and alive.

What does this mean for the industry

Living garments are not yet mass-produced. Many are lab-grown, couture-level prototypes. But the implications are massive. If fashion becomes a living system, then designers become bioengineers. Studios become labs. Runways become environments.

For the wider fashion ecosystem, this means embracing interdisciplinary collaboration. Biodesigners, material scientists, engineers, and storytellers must work hand-in-hand. The future is cross-pollinated.

A fashion week beyond fabric

Imagine a showcase where dresses evolve throughout a show. Where lighting, humidity, and even music shift how the garments move. A digital showcase that isn’t static but adaptive. At Digital Fashion Week, we believe this future isn’t far off. It is in motion.

Living fashion redefines what it means to wear something. It asks us to reconsider ownership, impact, and identity. Because when garments breathe, grow, and decompose, fashion becomes less about consumption and more about coexistence.

Editor’s note

Fashion has always been a reflection of its time. As we stand at the intersection of climate urgency and technological evolution, living fashion offers a glimpse into a future where beauty is more than skin-deep – it’s intelligent, regenerative, and radically hopeful. At Digital Fashion Week, we are watching this space closely. Because the next big trend isn’t just wearable, it’s alive.