Moving Colors

Craft Meets Innovation: Sustainable Shoes through Biotechnology and Craftsmanship

Science and craft converge in this fascinating project by Studio Ilfa Siebenhaar and SKUA Studio. The outcome of this collaboration will be showcased during Dutch Design Week at the Plan-B venue. The exhibition displays a unique collection of shoes made from leather dyed with pigments derived from color-producing bacteria. Instead of the toxic synthetic dyeing techniques typically used in the fashion and footwear industries, this collaboration utilizes environmentally friendly dyes derived from bacteria, which yield a beautiful array of colors. All individual shoe parts are dyed in the lab in Rotterdam and assembled in Utrecht, where slow design and respect for craftsmanship are paramount.

Microbes and Design: A Fresh Step Forward in Sustainable Fashion.

Bio-fashion designer Ilfa Siebenhaar from Studio Ilfa Siebenhaar, along with Anousjka Röben and Naomi Hille, both shoe designers and founders of SKUA Studio, met a year ago during the Driving Dutch Design program. Their refreshing ideas about what fashion should look like complement each other perfectly, leading to a beautiful play of colors and unique shoe designs, shaped and inspired by the growth of bacteria.

The Designs of This Shoe Collection are Inspired by the Organic Shapes of Bacteria

The designs of this shoe collection are inspired by the organic shapes of bacteria. When bacteria multiply, they create beautifully organic patterns, each pattern being unique. The movement within these patterns was the inspiration for the "Moving Colors" shoe collection. In this project, the two studios explored how they could collaborate and reinforce each other to create a design that reduces environmental impact without compromising the aesthetics of the design. The three collaborating designers infused their own skills, from which beautiful organic forms were created based on bacterial growth. As seen in both the shoe design and the design of the colored and hand-dyed leather, it resulted in an inspiring collaboration where innovation meets artisanal design and craftsmanship.