{"id":107180,"date":"2023-04-13T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T08:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=107180"},"modified":"2023-04-19T19:04:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T17:04:49","slug":"the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"Die materielle Revolution mit Suzanne Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":315,"featured_media":107269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10897,17330],"tags":[17951,17950],"class_list":["post-107180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-sustainability","tag-material-revolution","tag-suzanne-lee"],"acf":{"legacy":false,"exclude_from_ads":[],"hero_title":"","subtitle":"We\u2019re on the cusp of the fourth Industrial Revolution. This time it\u2019s driven by biology. Biomaterial expert and CEO of Biofabricate Suzanne Lee shares her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future. ","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":{"ID":107269,"id":107269,"title":"","filename":"Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","filesize":231849,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/suzanne-lee_portrait_photographer-credit-sharon-radisch\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"suzanne-lee_portrait_photographer-credit-sharon-radisch","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":107180,"date":"2023-04-03 09:20:44","modified":"2023-04-03 09:23:24","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch-1024x1536.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},"width":"4","proportion":"default"},"facebook_image":false,"related_articles":"","next_article":"","main_category":false,"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":107269,"id":107269,"title":"","filename":"Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","filesize":231849,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/suzanne-lee_portrait_photographer-credit-sharon-radisch\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"suzanne-lee_portrait_photographer-credit-sharon-radisch","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":107180,"date":"2023-04-03 09:20:44","modified":"2023-04-03 09:23:24","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch-1024x1536.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Sharon Radisch."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

\u201cRemember, it all started with biology and nature. Everything we made, everything we had, came from biology,\u201d says Suzanne Lee, CEO of Biofabricate and two-time TED Talker. \u201cBut, it wasn\u2019t scaleable.\u201d Back then, that is. The first, second and third Industrial Revolutions followed suit with money and mass in mind, enabling production and consumption at a rate that was previously impossible. \u201cHumanity turned to chemistry; switching the natural for quick and easily synthesised manmade materials,\u201d she tells me, continuing, \u201cBut, we\u2019ve come full circle. Now, we have the tools to make the same things \u2013 without killing the animal, without cutting down the tree. We can programme biology to do it in a much more efficient way using minimal and renewable resources.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Suzanne Lee, who calls in via Zoom from New York, trained as a fashion designer. She\u2019s a Jaqueline of all trades (and master of them all, too), soon expanding her oeuvre into research at Central Saint Martins and sustainability consultancy. Suzanne\u2019s interests always gravitated towards what fashion might look like down the line, a fifty year prediction of such informed the foundations of her book \u2018<\/span>Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow\u2019s Wardrobe<\/span><\/i>\u2019. Twenty years on and the fashion prophet\u2019s predictions are proving accurate. Today, growable suits, digital jackets and spray-on dresses are far from futuristic. In fact, they\u2019re quite familiar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up, it\u2019s not rayon nor is it regenerated, instead it\u2019s an Industrial Revolution that Suzanne predicts. One that reimagines a material world built efficiently and responsibly with biology \u2013 not oil. It\u2019s \u201cThe Material Revolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was through a serendipitous encounter with biologist (and later collaborator) Dr. David Hepworth in an art gallery at the turn of the century when Suzanne first liaised on the possibilities of microbially grown materials. A light bulb moment, she tells me. \u201cDavid said to me: \u201cThere\u2019s another way to imagine fibre production. We could look at living organisms to produce fibres for us.\u201d I said to him: \u201cAre you telling me that I could grow a dress in a vat of liquid?\u201d to which he responded, \u201cYeah.\u201d It changed everything for me.\u201d Soon after, Suzanne both coined the term Biocouture\u2122 and co-founded a company named after it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Biocouture\u2122 was thinking about design and biology and how we could grow the materials of the future using living organisms,\u201d she tells me. Suzanne grew cellulose using microbes in a kombucha tea style recipe to make biodegradable garments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She was ahead of the curve. \u201cWe got lots of press but in terms of convincing investors that this is the future, no one was listening. We were twenty years too early,\u201d her tone is laced with frustration. \u201cThe technology was absolutely right but people just weren’t ready.\u201d Biocouture\u2122 ended in 2012 and concluded with a <\/span>TED talk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 (a must-watch, by the way) that summarised her findings.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":107267,"id":107267,"title":"","filename":"Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","filesize":351961,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/biocouture-jackets_suzanne-lee_biofabricate-2023\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Biocouture\u2122 Jackets Suzanne Lee \u00a9Biofabricate 2023","name":"biocouture-jackets_suzanne-lee_biofabricate-2023","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":107180,"date":"2023-04-03 09:20:27","modified":"2023-04-03 09:22:17","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1357,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":90,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1357,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1357,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1357,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023-1536x1086.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1086,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1357,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Biocouture\u2122-Jackets_Suzanne-Lee_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1357}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

With a bank of knowledge curated over decades, Suzanne is an expert on biodesign, bio-innovation and sustainability. She became the first chief creative officer at a biotech company called Modern Meadow before leaving to found her next venture: Biofabricate, which hosts, consults and educates a global network of bio-innovators, startups, designers, investors, and brands who are fathoming material futures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with talented scientists makes you realise just how much creativity there is in science \u2013 in the experimental side, the brain work, the problem solving. It\u2019s something we don\u2019t give enough credit for either.\u201d The sweet spot for material futures is where the two come together. \u201cWhere empirical data-based, evidence-tested, hypothesis-focused science meets hunch-driven, intangible and tacit ideation,\u201d she says, noting how much learning and exchange can happen between the two disciplines. The key is in collaboration. Between science and design. Between mankind and Mother Nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there a reluctance to act with urgency? Why is it that we\u2019re still using harmful manufacturing processes when we have better alternatives? I ask. <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any reluctance,\u201d Suzanne says, omnisciently stating that this is a common misnomer. \u201cThe problem is that innovation of any kind takes time. All the technologies and alternatives we\u2019re talking about that are necessary for fashion to reinvent itself take years to test and develop. When you look at the history of materials, materials like polyester, leather, cotton have had decades, even hundreds if not thousands of years to get to the point they\u2019re at now in how we use them. We take them for granted, they\u2019re cheap, they\u2019re scaled.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re asking tiny startups to basically reinvent fibres using the code of life itself. The problem is not that consumers aren\u2019t asking for it, they really are. And, the demand for material innovation far outstrips supply. The challenge is money, time and that we\u2019re catering to an industry that is inherently impatient.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Where oil fuelled production drove industrialisation in the 20th century, biology will drive that of the 21st. For Suzanne, the revolution is inevitable. \u201cWe\u2019re dealing with the fallout of past material innovations. The cheapness of petrochemicals, the abundance of synthetics, microplastic and microfibre pollution and the leakage of toxic chemicals that are all bad for human health and for the planet.\u201d<\/span> It\u2019s a wake up call moment and we\u2019re beginning to accept that the innovation of the past might not have been so great after all. We need a new approach.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\u201cHow do we undo the damage we\u2019ve done, innovatively, without causing further damage?\"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

\u201cI think it was Steve Jobs who said that the biggest innovation of the 21st century will be the intersection of biology and technology.\u201d (It was). \u201cThese tools are becoming widely available and ever cheaper. High school kids can start designing and editing DNA to build something from biology in a similar fashion to how kids like Bill Gates and Jobs once learnt to build computer software. The 21st century equivalent is writing with the code of life,\u201d says Suzanne, totally enthused. \u201cThis is why it\u2019s the next industrial revolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s only the beginning, Suzanne tells me, the dawn of a new age. It\u2019s this that keeps her fire burning under the darkening cloud of reality whereby carbon emissions at the level they\u2019re at are pushing us closer to the point of no return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As determined at the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016, efforts must limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. A <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> published in the European Geosciences Union\u2019s <\/span>Earth System Dynamics<\/span><\/i> Journal applies a model that combines climate simulations with methods from statistical physics accounting for climate uncertainties whilst considering whether removing carbon from the atmosphere might buy us some time. The above considered with a warming threshold of a lenient 2 degrees suggests that the point of no return will arrive in 2035. If actions are strong, this could be delayed to 2042. With the same assumptions but a strict 1.5 degree warming threshold, the point of no return has already passed.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the last five years, there has been an explosion of innovations from biomaterials to climate technologies. \u201cThis area has really kicked into gear, even since COVID. There\u2019s nothing we\u2019re not prepared to look at to solve these issues.\u201d It\u2019s a renaissance of technology and everyone is solution-focused. We\u2019re now asking the important questions, seeking solutions that are healthier for humans and the planet. \u201cHow do we undo the damage we\u2019ve done, innovatively, without causing further damage?\u201d Suzanne queries, rhetorically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you believe biotechnology is the answer? \u201cThere is no one technology or solution. There never is. But a lot can be done with biology and biotechnology because it touches on everything in the way we build and construct our world,\u201d she says, barely stopping to breathe before adding: \u201cWhat biology enables you to do is use fewer resources, better: less land, less water, less energy \u2013 and all, hopefully, without toxic chemistries, enabling a world in which we can have abundance without exploitation and extraction and all the kinds of processes that created this shitshow in the first place.\u201d Period.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":107268,"id":107268,"title":"","filename":"BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","filesize":1000999,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/biofabricate-2022\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"BIOFABRICATE Design Lab at the BIOFABRICATE Summit 2022. Image Courtesy of Biofabricate. ","name":"biofabricate-2022","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":107180,"date":"2023-04-03 09:20:33","modified":"2023-04-03 09:23:16","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1280,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1280,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1280,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023-1536x1024.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BIOFABRICATE-Design-Lab-at-the-BIOFABRICATE-Summit-2022_\u00a9Biofabricate-2023.jpeg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1280}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Growing commercial goods using bacteria and microbes is daunting to many. There are unintended consequences to any technology, right? Suzanne believes we\u2019re right to be sceptical if scepticism translates into thorough testing in a regulated and monitored environment to ensure an alternative is genuinely better for us and the planet before we embrace it. \u201cBut, this is not a given,\u201d says Suzanne, wishing that this applied across the board. \u201cThere has been an initial generation of new materials, you know \u2013 the Vegan Leathers,\u201d which often claim to be eco, \u201cmany of them are nothing more than a monstrous hybrid of some biomass mashed up with a petrochemical polymer.” She\u2019s pissed off but continues: \u201cHow is that better? What is that better than? It\u2019s not recyclable. It\u2019s not necessarily biodegradable. It still needs all the same chemistry that existing petrochemical-based materials use. We need to be more thoughtful and responsible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suzanne fears that this sort of greenwashing could lead to young consumers feeling confused and mistrustful towards biomaterials and innovations, too. But, as the EU cracks down on greenwashing, she\u2019s hopeful legislation will help. \u201cIt\u2019s critical that we have a system in place that stops people from making unproven claims about various technologies and materials. And, as more and more organisations, like Biofabricate, are equipping people with education, they\u2019ll be able to spot it for themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consumer ignorance remains rife. A 2021 <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> by Zalando found that 58% of survey respondents believe they should understand product materials but only 38% regularly investigate information, 53% believe ethical labour policies are important but only 23% investigate said policies and 60% said transparency is important but only 20% actively sought out information as part of their purchasing process. How can we remedy consumer ignorance or deniability?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou clearly have less faith than I do, Rose,\u201d she laughs, continuing: \u201cIt\u2019s a multi-pronged answer. Education for starters. Not enough people understand what\u2019s possible which is why it\u2019s so important to do education and that, in part, is what Biofabricate focuses on,\u201d says Suzanne, continuing: \u201cWe want kids to want to study bioinnovation at school, creating a whole generation of people who are thinking about building things the way nature does. We want to find a way to make learning interesting and engaging, more of a conversation.\u201d An inter-generational one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Will the Material Revolution allow for a fast model of fashion to persist? I ask. \u201cHumans like newness, self-expression. These are fundamental human characteristics and they\u2019re not going to go away. So, as long as they\u2019re there, we need to find new ways of feeding them or radical ways to change the global behaviour of mankind.\u201d I think she\u2019s joking about the latter. \u201cWhile we can try to tackle the psychology of consumption, I don\u2019t see a resolution to this anytime soon, so if we\u2019re going to live with this, we have to do it in a way which is circular and keeps feedstocks and nutrients in a cycle rather than using extractive processes. How do we make people feel fulfilled and satisfied whilst producing in a way that doesn\u2019t cause harm?\u201d Biology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\nThe Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-13T08:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-19T17:04:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rose Dodd\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. This creativity manifests itself in SLEEK\u2019s quarterly print publication, digital and social media channels.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"de\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/\",\"name\":\"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-13T08:00:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-19T17:04:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7444f3322cdb3fcb406d6d016d7ae680\"},\"description\":\"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7444f3322cdb3fcb406d6d016d7ae680\",\"name\":\"Rose Dodd\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/89dafdf30a7985e1334869670ea840a36258a98b1284f9e531e33f5451b3332c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/89dafdf30a7985e1334869670ea840a36258a98b1284f9e531e33f5451b3332c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rose Dodd\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/rose-dodd\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine","description":"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine","og_description":"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/","og_site_name":"Sleek Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/","article_published_time":"2023-04-13T08:00:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-19T17:04:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sleekmag","twitter_site":"@sleekmag","twitter_misc":{"Verfasst von":"Rose Dodd"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/","name":"Schlankes Magazin","description":"Sleek ist Deutschlands f\u00fchrendes unabh\u00e4ngiges Medienhaus\/Marke f\u00fcr Kreativit\u00e4t und Innovation mit Sitz in Berlin, der kreativen Hauptstadt der Welt. Diese Kreativit\u00e4t manifestiert sich in der viertelj\u00e4hrlich erscheinenden Print-Publikation, den digitalen und Social-Media-Kan\u00e4len von SLEEK.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"de"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Suzanne-Lee_Portrait_Photographer-Credit-Sharon-Radisch.jpeg","width":1280,"height":1920},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/","name":"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee - Sleek Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-04-13T08:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-19T17:04:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7444f3322cdb3fcb406d6d016d7ae680"},"description":"Biomaterial expert Suzanne Lee and CEO of Biofabricate speaks to SLEEK about her predictions for fashion\u2019s material future.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/the-material-revolution-with-suzanne-lee\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Material Revolution with Suzanne Lee"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7444f3322cdb3fcb406d6d016d7ae680","name":"Rose Dodd","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/89dafdf30a7985e1334869670ea840a36258a98b1284f9e531e33f5451b3332c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/89dafdf30a7985e1334869670ea840a36258a98b1284f9e531e33f5451b3332c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rose Dodd"},"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/rose-dodd\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/315"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}