About Me
Jessica Evans. Biodesigner. Future Thinker.
Passionate, driven and a believer that by practising science fiction thinking and manifesting solutions, a new way of life can be created. Problems arising through climate change steer a need for sustainable practices and collaboration. My goal is to develop dynamic materials and designs that have a positive impact within a rapidly changing environment.
Obsessed with Biodesign and the potential to collaborate with organisms, I grew mycelium and SCOBY's for my collection, pushing their boundaries for product uses and my own as a designer. Speculative design practices enabled my vision of a cleaner future and the potential outcomes we can create by looking to nature for inspiration. This is the start of my journey to significantly contribute to the field of biofabrication becoming a part of mainstream fashion. My goal as a fashion changemaker is to respond to the climate emergency and bring about positive sustainable change.
INSPIRATION
Biofabric Futures. Designed for a 2030 consumer, let me show you my world.
My journey began by experiencing ‘Black Summer’, a colloquial term for the 2020 Australian bushfires. While they are an annual event to help the land regenerate, the extreme levels seen were exacerbated by climate change. Living in Sydney, I was lucky to only be impacted by the smoke which manifested an apocalyptic sensation. The fires brought fear and insecurity for people’s health and livelihoods, emotions that are driving factors of this collection and can be coined under the term 'eco-anxiety'.
This experience left me with a renewed appreciation for Mother Nature, for her extreme power, beauty and the connections she creates. Mycelia networks (mushroom roots) connect entire ecosystems, sharing information and critical sustenance for survival. This network mirrored the communities who rallied together in the face of these fires. This connection to people and the planet resulted in mushrooms being used as inspiration for silhouettes, offering physical protection and an emotional connection.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
BioFabric Futures
Eco Anxiety Mood board
2030 Consumer
Textile Direction: Biofabrication
Textile Direction: Mycelium
Textile Direction: Mycelium Product Development
Design Development
Speed Sketching
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3
Look 4
Look 5
Look 6
Final Line Up
Bibliography
DETAIL
Can we combine organic and digital substances to thrive in a climate emergency?
This experience has fed into my graduate collection which considers the emotional effect of climate change and how this drives consumers to desire clothing that manifests a sense of protection. As a material led designer, my garments are made from upcycled second-hand firemen’s uniforms and are specifically designed to protect the wearer in extreme heat environments, offering physical and psychological security. Biofabricated textiles such as scoby’s (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and mycelium (root network of mushrooms) feature throughout. Scoby’s present the speculative design opportunity to consider how we can bio-hack organisms to create sensory fabric; for example, bacteria’s DNA could be altered to recognise high levels of air pollution and alert the wearer to it by changing colour which is showcased digitally using Clo3d software. Mycelium is used to create hats and accessories which can offer emotional connections to our environment without inflicting harm when thrown away.
Biofabricated textiles are the way of the future. We need a greater level of harmony between people and the planet and only through this balance will we achieve true sustainability.
Graduate Fashion Week in partnership with:
