A young fashion designer from the German city of Hanover is revolutionizing high fashion by designing clothes with a staple she can find in her fridge — milk.
Anke Domaske, 28, has developed a fabric called QMilch made from high concentrations of the milk protein casein — the first man-made fiber produced entirely without chemicals.
“It feels like silk and it doesn’t smell — you can wash it just like anything else,” says Domaske .
Made from all natural materials, the QMilch fabric is ecological but also has many health benefits, said Domaske, who also said the amino acids in the protein are antibacterial, anti-aging and can help regulate both blood circulation and body temperature.
Domaske’s fashion label Mademoiselle Chi Chi — a favorite among the likes of Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson — has now started weaving the milk fiber into its collection.
Currently the MCC clothes — which feature flowing wrap dresses with edgy cuts and bright patterns — are made from a combination of various fibers, including QMilch. But Domaske plans to design a collection made entirely from the milk fiber.
Milk fabric has been around since the 1930s but was always produced in unecological ways that used a lot of chemicals. Unlike earlier prototypes, QMilch is made almost entirely from casein.
“We have developed an all-natural fiber consisting of a very high concentration of casein, with a few other natural ingredients — and in only two years,” the former microbiology student Domaske said.
The casein is extracted from dried milk powder and then heated up in a type of meat-mincing machine with other natural ingredients. The fiber comes out in strands and is then spun into yarn on a spinning machine.
Domaske said it would take about 6 liters of milk to produce an entire dress, which costs about 150 euros($199) to 200 euros.
Luckily, for that kind of money, the clothes don’t come with an expiry date — during the heating process, the molecules bind in such a way that the protein won’t decompose.
Due to its anti-bacterial qualities, the milk fiber can also be used in medicine and makeup. Even some auto companies have looked into using the fiber for car upholstery.
(Original source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-fashion-milk/german-fashion-designer-makes-clothes-from-milk-idUSTRE7953MG20111006)