lead image by Oliver Kellhammer

Kumbucha leather is a biomaterial: a regenerative material created by living organisms, as contrasted with mined materials that must be mined or extracted.

• kombucha is a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast
• kombucha leather is the dried version of the thickened layer that forms over a volume of fermenting liquid kombucha

Design goals

• to grow microbial leather that can be sewn or moulded in ways analogous to leather, parchment or homemade paper
• to improve control of the thickness and evenness of the dried material
• to test enhancements of the microbial leather such as coloring or waterproofing

Artists and designers, including the designer Suzanne Lee (see link to her TED talk) have recently been exploring the potential of microbial leather as a sustainable alternative to the ethically and environmentally problematic use of animal-sourced leather. Parsons Sustainable Systems is advancing this research.

Questions

Questions can be either frequently asked questions, or "next step" challenges we're looking to solve.

Activities

Activities show how to use this project, step by step.