Fashion is a forever changing industry that is fueled by innovation, creativity, and individualism. Recent innovations within the industry have focused on making fabrics and materials more sustainable, and designers have found a way to do so through the use of fruit waste and algae. Berlin-based designer Youyang Song, developed a fabric named Peelsphere in 2019, and fully developed the material late last year. Song began experimenting with fruit leaves and peels due to a lack of variety and availability of the materials she was looking for on the market. This started her journey of looking to create the first fabric that is completely biodegradable. She began this process by reaching out to local markets and fruit suppliers asking for their leftover banana and orange peels. From the peels, she and her team were able to extract fiber and pectin, which when mixed and grind together through a manufacturing process, resulted in leather like material.  

This fabric is said to be the “new alternative” to both real and synthetic leather, and can do everything from being cut to embroidered, 3D printed into shapes, woven, dyed, and even used as foam. Peelsphere will be the first 100% biodegradable material available on the market, and It will be interesting to see the fashion industry begin making an even bigger transition to the use of more sustainable materials. I will be keeping a close eye out for the name “Peelsphere” on the tags of our clothing in the near future. 

To learn more about the material, you can check out https://peelsphere.com.