BERLIN — Reuters (Oct 07 2011) “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.”
About the Fabric
Anke Domaske has recently developed a fabric called QMilch made from high concentrations of the milk protein casein-- the first man-made fiber produced entirely without chemicals.
The clothes
feature soft and sensuous lines and basic colors. The elegant draperies are made using milk fiber which is turned into thread in a
laboratory close to Bremen. Made from all natural materials, the QMilch fabric
is not only ecological but is also enriched with many health benefits. Domaske
said that the amino acids in the protein are antibacterial, anti-aging and can
help regulate both blood circulation and body temperature. The fabric falls
wonderfully, and it’s cheaper than silk. Milk
fabric is made of protein so you can wash it normally, and it’s really easy to
care for. “It feels like silk and it doesn’t smell — you can wash it just like anything else,” Domaske told.
Who Designed it?Anke Domaske, 28, learned to make clothes as a child, from her great grandmother- who was a milliner. She had a passion for science too and even won a contest for up-and-coming scientists, in her teenage. After she finished school she went to Tokyo, Japan, where she sold t-shirts designed by her. On her return home she began studying microbiology and set-up her own fashion label on the side. In short, she managed to balance her two greatest interests and the results turned out to be astonishing. This German-born designer did a great job in balancing between her passion for fashion and her love for science. She decided to study microbiology and also pursued a career in fashion design.
Process InvolvedThe fabric making process is a lot more environment-friendly and considerably cheaper. 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. The good thing is that the fibers are extracted from substandard milk that is usually thrown away. So, the substandard milk is used to create a milk yarn fabric, manufactured without the use of any pesticides or chemicals.
Discovery of Milk fiber:
The upcoming designer, Anke Domaske, realized that there’s more to milk than meets the eye. Since, she’s always had a thing for science, she and her team spent years experimenting with the milk turning it into eco-thread. They came up with a special mixture containing a protein derived from sour milk, which is processed in a lab, near the German city of Bremen. It is heated up and pressed through a kind of mincing machine to create the threads.
“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.
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| Model Britta poses for the dresses made from Milk. |
Anke Domaske’s Collection:
Until she reached the ideal combination of all her passions: she has presented a capsule collection within her Mademoiselle Chi Chi line, much-coveted by Hollywood stars such as Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson. Domaske’s fashion label Mademoiselle Chi Chi has now started weaving the milk fiber into its collection. Currently, the MCC clothes featuring flowing wrap dresses with edgy cuts and bright patterns are made from a combination of various fibers, including QMilch. It’s been heard that Domaske also plans to design a collection made entirely from the milk fiber. According to Domaske, it takes about 6 liters (1.5 gallons) of milk to produce an entire dress. Those interested in her designs should be prepared to pay up to US $270 (€200). AS the reporter says, “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.” Anke Domaske’s revolutionary milk fiber fashion is going on show this summer, and she’s already received inquiries from all over the world. Next she plans to work on a men’s line.
Source of Information:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/06/us-germany-fashion-milk-idUSTRE7953MG20111006
http://www.psfk.com/2011/07/clothes-made-from-sour-milk-video.html
I really enjoyed this story, since its unique in its own way and the article does look much better with the images. nice job :)
ReplyDeleteI noticed you had quite a few grammatical errors in your article. Make sure to re-read it, or even read it aloud to yourself, and correct any mistakes you manage to catch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, at the end of the first paragraph, it sounds as if you were about to begin going into the results of this person’s interests. But instead of doing that, you included two more sentences that simply restated earlier ideas. I found these sentences to be awkward and out of place. Either you should reorganize this paragraph, or remove the last two sentences.
What an interesting subject matter! The images really help support your text and give even more interest to your article.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would pay attention to is repetition. There are a couple of places where you repeat yourself and this makes reading a little redundant. For example, in the first and second paragraphs you state several times that the designer enjoys both science and fashion. I think it isn't needed to repeat this information so many times. Also, in the last paragraph, you mention twice consecutively that Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson both like her designs. If you can take out the repetitions, I think you have a very successful article!