Scientists have unveiled a collection of skin-tight garments fashioned from red wine.
A team from the University of Western Australia added a bacteria to the alcoholic beverage to create a cotton-like substance.
To date they have made dresses, T-shirts and swimwear and are now looking at ways to improve the fabric tear strength.
Researchers at The University of Western Australia have created a textile made from wine
Lead researcher Gary Cass, collaborated with contemporary artist Donna Franklin to deisgn the womenswear range and believes fermented fashion could one day become mainstream.
Discussing the project he states: 'This project redefines the production of woven materials.
'By combining art and science knowledge and with a little inventiveness, the ultimate goal will be to produce a bacterial fermented seamless garment that forms without a single stitch.'
To create the fabric, a bacteria called acetobacter is added to vats of wine to convert it into vinegar and a scum-like surface gradually forms.
This layer is then harvested and dried on an inflatable mannequin to get the desired shape.
The cellulose fabric is placed on an inflatable mannequin to get the desired shape
The garments made from fermented wine are clingy and completely seamless
When the dummy is deflated the clothing remains, however when the ensemble dries the fibres become like tissue paper, tearing easily and needs to be kept damp when worn.
The Bioalloy team are now hoping to partner up with other experts to find a way to strengthen the material, which they have named 'Micro be'.
This is not textile artist Franklin's first foray into the world of fermenting fashion and in 2007 she presented a living fungus dress feeding it special nutrients to promote its colour-changing properties.
'We hope that it will inspire others to come up with more creative pieces that will direct and/or redirect our future society,' Cass told Wired.co.uk.
Futuristic fashion: Models demonstrate items created from red wine
'Fermented fashion doesn't need to stay within the fashion world but can inspire new thoughts in many other disciplines, such as medicine, engineering, dentistry or architecture. All you have to do is let your imagination, creativity and ingenuity loose.'
Other alcohol can be used in place of red wine, including beer.
London-based fashion designer Suzanne Lee is also refining a technique to grow her own clothes.
After researching a book about how fashion would look in 50 years time she developed a recipe of green tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast which creates a material which she describes as 'vegetable leather', which is biodegradable and after five years, becomes unwearable, hardening and rotting.
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