Milk Clothing Lets People Wear Dairy, Avoid Acrylic Irritation
Anke Domaske, a German microbiology student and fashion designer, used her expertise in both fields to turn milk proteins into wearable clothes, christened Qmilch.
Domaske led a team of researchers at the Fiber Institute, and they have devised a method to use sour organic milk casein proteins to create yarn that is spun into a silk-like material.
The process is not easy. Liters of spoiled milk must be powdered, heated, run through a machine that boils out all the water-most of the bacteria responsible for the smell of sour milk. Then add the concoction to beeswax and other substances, spin the material, and then an expensive fabric is the result.
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Qmilch is pricier than other fabrics at about $56 per pound. It is about 40 percent more costly than cotton. Those costs add up when making actual clothes: a full dress can cost anywhere from $225 to $300, depending on the design.
The benefits may outweigh the overhead, however.
Qmilch is completely organic, so it does not possess the many of the materials most clothes do, like acrylic. For those who suffer from sensitive skin, the milk-based fiber is a blessing.
"There are so many people who really suffer just by wearing normal clothing. I wanted to find a way to help them,” said Damaske to The Associated Press, “I thought it must be possible to make a fabric that is completely organic."
Another advantage of milk-based fabrics is better water consumption, something the fashion industry has struggled to implement. Approximately 1,250 of gallons of water are used to make just one pound of cotton, whereas a quarter of a gallon can be used to make a pound of Qmilch. For most cloth, the only alternative to using huge amounts of water is oil-based supplements, which is also a bad idea.
"We know that everything that is based on oil has a limit… water and chemicals are limited, so we need to think about how we can produce fabrics and textiles in the future," said Klaus Jansen of the Textile Research Association to the AP.
Damaske’s success has allowed her to start her own clothing line, called MCC. Several German designers for its eco-friendly composition and its use as hypoallergenic material are also considering the fabric.
