Abstract
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is increasingly studied in material design and biodesign as a biofabricated material shaped through cultivation, harvesting, and processing. In fashion contexts, however, BC is often identified as a leather alternative, particularly in sheet form. While this framing has supported its integration into design practices, it constrains BC's textile potential. This paper investigates how BC becomes textile material through multiple materialisation trajectories rather than through a single substitute material form. The study is a comparative analysis of sixteen cases, framed by Material-Driven Design (MDD) approach. Fourteen external design and interdisciplinary cases provide the comparative basis, while two hands-on experiments by the authors, developed through Research through Design (RtD) and biotinkering, examine BC as a natural binder for textile waste and within a BC–alginate extrusion system for filaments. Through this analysis, six trajectories of textile materialisation are identified: sheet, fibre, filament, yarn, biocomposite textile, and textile coating. These trajectories are shaped by different relations between cultivation, processing, textile assembly, and surface treatment, showing that BC's textile potential does not reside in one stable form but emerges through how biological growth and material transformation are distributed across textile practices. The paper argues that BC should be understood as a process-based biofabricated textile material rather than a leather substitute, offering a more grounded basis for engaging with BC in textile design, biodesign, and emerging material practices.
Keywords
Bacterial cellulose; Biofabricated textile material; Biotinkering; Materialisation trajectories; Textile design
DOI
10.21606/TI-2026.179
Citation
Yu, Z.,and Rognoli, V.(2026) Bacterial Cellulose as Biofabricated Textile Material: Biotinkering and Trajectories of Textile Materialisation, in Jane Scott, Sophie Skach, and Rebecca Stewart (eds.), Textile Intersections 2026, 17-18 September 2026, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/TI-2026.179
Conference Track
researchpapers
Included in
Bacterial Cellulose as Biofabricated Textile Material: Biotinkering and Trajectories of Textile Materialisation
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is increasingly studied in material design and biodesign as a biofabricated material shaped through cultivation, harvesting, and processing. In fashion contexts, however, BC is often identified as a leather alternative, particularly in sheet form. While this framing has supported its integration into design practices, it constrains BC's textile potential. This paper investigates how BC becomes textile material through multiple materialisation trajectories rather than through a single substitute material form. The study is a comparative analysis of sixteen cases, framed by Material-Driven Design (MDD) approach. Fourteen external design and interdisciplinary cases provide the comparative basis, while two hands-on experiments by the authors, developed through Research through Design (RtD) and biotinkering, examine BC as a natural binder for textile waste and within a BC–alginate extrusion system for filaments. Through this analysis, six trajectories of textile materialisation are identified: sheet, fibre, filament, yarn, biocomposite textile, and textile coating. These trajectories are shaped by different relations between cultivation, processing, textile assembly, and surface treatment, showing that BC's textile potential does not reside in one stable form but emerges through how biological growth and material transformation are distributed across textile practices. The paper argues that BC should be understood as a process-based biofabricated textile material rather than a leather substitute, offering a more grounded basis for engaging with BC in textile design, biodesign, and emerging material practices.