fashion
Inside a 371m2 laboratory at the heart of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a group of scientists are demonstrating how to make wearable shrimp shells.
It all starts with mixing chitosan – a white-powder biochemical component extracted from the shells – with water and organic acid.
As the chitosan is dissolving, the scientists add in what they call the “secret sauce,” a combination of biomaterials and pigments that varies depending on the texture and colour required.
The liquid is then poured into a mould and placed in a heater to evaporate excess water, not unlike baking a cake in an oven. Several hours later, all that remains is the final product: a laptop-sized piece of leather-like fabric.
“It’s amazing to see how the material
