Qmilch is an eco-friendly textile made from, you guessed it, milk. It's an odorless, extremely soft, washable fabric alternative that even dries twice as fast as cotton. To add to the conveniences of this material, it also helps regulate one's body temperature and blood circulation.
"While textiles made from milk are not an entirely new concept (people have been testing out the idea since the 1930’s), Qmilch is by far the most successful attempt. This is because it is the most sustainable; other methods employ noxious chemicals in order to get the desired result. Qmilch, however, is made from organic milk that has gone sour and cannot be sold- recycling something that would have otherwise gone to waste.
The milk is heated, combined with ingredients such as beeswax, and spun into thread. This process is much more ecologically sound. It not only eliminates the need for chemicals, it cuts down on water waste! While cotton uses more than 10,000 liters of water to produce 2 pounds of fabric, Qmilch uses half a gallon! It is also biodegradable.
Although it hasn’t reached mainstream quite yet, (the fabric is $28 per kilogram, far pricier than even organic cotton), many companies have expressed interest in purchasing and using Qmilch. Domaske has also produced her own fashion line created from the textile, “Mademoiselle Chi Chi.”" - startupfashion.com
This emerging textile is a reminder to designers that our assumptions of an object's role may not be conceptually exclusive. Objects and ideas can potentially be used in different ways to solve design and brand problems. This article should be a challenge to those attempting to create new and innovative design solutions. Perhaps the design solution you're looking for lies within the reworking of an existing object's societal role.
Qmilch is an eco-friendly textile made from, you guessed it, milk.
It's an odorless, extremely soft, washable fabric alternative that even dries
twice as fast as cotton. To add to the conveniences of this material, it also
helps regulate one's body temperature and blood circulation.
"While textiles made from milk are not an entirely new concept (people have
been testing out the idea since the 1930’s), Qmilch is by far the most
successful attempt. This is because it is the most sustainable; other methods
employ noxious chemicals in order to get the desired result. Qmilch, however, is
made from organic milk that has gone sour and cannot be sold- recycling
something that would have otherwise gone to waste.
The milk is heated, combined with ingredients such as beeswax, and spun into
thread. This process is much more ecologically sound. It not only eliminates the
need for chemicals, it cuts down on water waste! While cotton uses more than
10,000 liters of water to produce 2 pounds of fabric, Qmilch uses half a gallon!
It is also biodegradable.
Although it hasn’t reached mainstream quite yet, (the fabric is $28 per
kilogram, far pricier than even organic cotton), many companies have expressed
interest in purchasing and using Qmilch. Domaske has also produced her own
fashion line created from the textile, “Mademoiselle Chi Chi.”" -
startupfashion.com