Typically when one thinks of environmentally sound clothing, sustainable production techniques or materials are what come to mind. But the fashion-minded brainiacs at the University of Sheffield, London College of Fashion and University of Ulster are challenging that convention. In a collaborative fashion project called Catalytic Clothing the designers intend to put a new, decidedly stranger, spin on going green in style.The project, known as "Herself," is an air-purifying dress made from a spray-on flexible concrete material. We're not sure how comfortable a garment made from concrete would be, but then again, we've never heard of a concrete that is flexible and in spray form, either. When applied to fabrics, it seemingly absorbs pollutants in from air into itself, effectively purifying its surrounding environment. While this obviously bodes well for the environment, we wonder how this process might affect the odor of the person wearing the dress.For the time being, the project is just a "highly experimental," conceptual sculpture and not yet wearable. But Catalyst Clothing believes the science behind it could help produce more clothing that removes pollution from the air and allow us, as they say, to "breathe more beautifully." It's an interesting idea, and the gown they’ve produced is quite stunning and looks worthy of any fancy red carpet or gala event, but we're not sure we’ll see this trend catch on unless the researches can come up with something a bit more ready-to-wear and maybe a little less, um, concrete.
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