Sustainable fashion is on the rise, with materials from plastic water bottles to vegan apple leather becoming more and more common in the industry every day. Recent design graduate Jasmine Linington is taking sustainable fashion a step further with a new couture collection that uses seaweed-derived textiles. The eco-friendly and thoughtful clothing displays the versatility of this ocean resource through seaweed fibers, dyes and embellishments.
“Having fallen in love with seaweed for its utter beauty and endless visual inspiration, whether that be for its colour, texture or composition, it was this initial capture that began the journey into my ‘Seaweed Girl’ project,” Linington said. “I have since spent the last few years exploring ways in which I can incorporate this alternative, highly sustainable material into my practice in a way that showcases its beauty, but also its environmental benefits.”
After learning that seaweed and microalgae make up about 90% of plant life on the planet, Linington became motivated to find innovative ways to use seaweed in fashion. Seaweed and microalgae are highly sustainable, especially because they are some of the fastest growing organisms on Earth.
The inventive artist hand-harvests seaweed from the southeastern coast of Scotland to create the pieces. Linington develops the plants into beads and sequins for embellishments with a resin made from the byproducts of the harvesting process. For the fabrics, seaweed and eucalyptus cellulose combine to create SeaCell fibers. Seaweed is also used in the dying process to color the fabrics. These processes mean that everything in the collection is carbon-neutral and biodegradable. Linington’s project is ongoing. Next, the artist will be working on a line of textile wall hangings and artwork inspired by the seaweed collection as well as a small range of luxury interior accessories.
