CHROME//LAB
Microbially Pigmented Textiles
CHROME//LAB is a biodesign research project exploring microbial colour as a material for future textiles. Positioned at the intersection of microbiology, material experimentation, and design, the project investigates pigment-producing bacteria and fungi as active collaborators in the creation of colour. Rather than treating dyeing as a standardised industrial process, it approaches colour as something that grows, changes, and develops through time.
The current material series focuses on Fusarium graminearum, a filamentous fungus cultivated from a soil-derived isolate collected in the Kaunas region. The culture was obtained through scientific collaboration with Prof. Dr. Renata Žvirdauskienė at the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC).
During the process, prepared cotton, linen, and silk textiles are placed in controlled contact with the microbial culture. As the fungus develops, naturally produced pigments migrate into the textile fibres, creating colours ranging from soft yellow and pink to saturated orange, red, and brown. Once the desired colour has formed, the fungal biomass is removed and biological activity is stopped, leaving the pigment and visual traces of growth within the textile structure.
Unlike conventional uniform dyeing, the process generates organic gradients, concentrated areas, branching forms, and irregular patterns. The final appearance is influenced by the textile fibre, environmental conditions, culture maturity, and the behaviour of the organism itself. Each sample therefore becomes a unique and unrepeatable record of a biological process, transforming natural variability into an aesthetic and material quality.
The first research stage examines in-situ biological dyeing, in which the microorganism grows directly on the fabric and simultaneously generates colour and pattern. A future stage will explore pigment extraction, separating colour compounds from the microbial biomass to investigate more controlled and potentially scalable textile-dyeing applications.
CHROME//LAB does more than search for an alternative colourant. It asks how textile design might change when colour is co-produced with a living system — shifting from complete human control towards collaboration with biological processes.
The material remains experimental. Initial samples demonstrate visible pigment retention, while standardised testing of washing, light and abrasion resistance, chemical composition, and toxicological safety is required before commercial or skin-contact applications.
Created by Dijuota Žilytė
Scientific collaboration: Prof. Dr. Renata Žvirdauskienė, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC)
