Pangaia has introduced a limited-edition apparel collection that features tracksuits colored with Colorifix’s biology-based dye technology. The colors are derived from bacteria.
The Pangaia Lab Powered By Colorifix capsule marks the first commercially-available application of the bioengineered dye technology and the second release from the Pangaia Lab innovative platform, which aims to discover the latest innovations in materials science.
Colorifix’s laboratory-grown dyes are used in the capsule. This makes natural pigments more vibrant industrial dyes on a large scale.
This revolutionary dyeing process uses DNA sequence data to identify naturally occurring pigments. Colorifix then creates and inserts the DNA code in a microbe. This microbe can be used not only to produce the pigment, but also to transfer and fix it onto fabric.
The collection’s hoodie, trackpants and track pants have been dyed using two naturally occurring pink and blue pigments. The ‘Midway Geyser Pink,’ named after the Yellowstone National Park’s famous Midway Geyser Basin, uses pigments made by ancient bacteria. While the ‘Blue Cocoon,’ colour is made from pigments found within silk cocoons, the ‘Midway Geyser Pink’ is dyed with two naturally occurring blue and pink pigments. Pangaia explains that these pigments were the inspiration for the limited-edition graphic tracksuit.
Dr. Amanda Parkes is the chief innovation officer at Pangaia. She stated in a statement that Colorifix’s cutting-edge approach demonstrates the true potential of biotechnology and brings positive change to fashion.
“Bio-fabrication is a way to fundamentally transform manufacturing by harnessing the power and potential of microorganisms to make natural dye.”
When compared to conventional dyeing for cotton, Colorifix technology can reduce water consumption by at most 49 percent, cut electrical energy consumption by 35%, and reduce CO2 emissions by 31 per cent. The new dyeing process will reduce the impact on the environment by following the natural circular pattern of nature to create and apply colour.
The dyeing process can take five washes on average and requires high temperatures for five hours consecutively to create the color. However, Colorifix’s engineered microbes can reproduce nature’s colour palette with much cleaner inputs. Colorifix takes only one wash and three hours to make the color.
Colorifix co-founder and chief executive officer, Dr Orr Yarkoni said: “We are really excited about the release of this capsule. This shows that brands such as Pangaia recognize the importance of biology in shaping industry’s future and we are delighted to be working alongside a leader in this area.”
The 356 Signature Hoodie is 170 US Dollars and the 356 Signature trackpant is 140 US Dollars.
