Let's transform the byproducts from hop farming into a new possibility for textiles!

My name is Eduarda Bastian. I am a textile researcher and a participant at the MA course Practice Held in Common, at ArtEZ University of the Arts. My love for nature and textiles has led me to focus my research in sustainable and plant-based alternatives for the textile industry, which is responsible for generating a vast amount of pollution by using synthetic materials.

A SHIFT TOWARDS A PLANT-BASED FUTURE

It is known that the clothing industry emits more CO2 than international aviation and sea transport combined. As we find ourselves in a world with severe need for more sustainable and meaningful ways of living, it is inevitable for us from the textile industry to look for more nature friendly materials and more compassionate approaches. A shift towards the increased use of vegetable fibers for the production of textiles could lessons the need for synthetic fiber production, which are responsible for promoting the emission of numerous components known for their detrimental effect on human health and the environment.

Long before the invention of machine dependent materials, nature was the only resource. Textile materials were made from wild plants, growing free, all around us, abundantly. Thousands of different plants can present us with thousands of different fibers, with a great variety of properties and characteristics.

GIVING NEW MEANING TO FORGOTTEN PLANT FIBERS

Besides the big pollution footprint generated by clothing production, the true value of natural materials and our connection with it has been lost. It is my belief that, in order to recover our connection with nature, to bring purpose back to this industry as well as to handmade techniques, and to reduce the use of harmful and pollutant materials, the solution just might be to look back, rescuing old techniques and values ​​and bringing back to life some of the forgotten natural fibers.

WHY HOP?

It is estimated that 35,000 hop stems are either composted or burned on a yearly basis only in The Netherlands. After the harvesting of the flower, the stems are usually considered a byproduct by the hop growers. The hop plant (humulus lupulus), responsible for producing the flower used for beer production, was once used for its fibers. The use of hop fibers for textile production can be found in several ancient written materials from different parts of the world. There is also physical evidence of their use in textile museums in Sweden and England.

NEW METHOD FOR EXTRACTING AND SOFTENING HOP FIBERS

After extensive research on the subject and fruitful collaborations with local hop growers, biologists and fiber experts, a new eco-friendly softening method was developed for the fibers, with the goal of making it more suitable for textiles. I will be conducting experiments and continuing this research at the new BlueCity lab facilities in Rotterdam, which will be ready around the same time as the harvest.

SUPPORT

With your donation, I will be able to continue this research and experiment with environmentally friendly softening methods in a circular lab, keeping the connection with local farmers and researchers. Your support will help me with costs for lab materials, lab rent, travelcosts to the hop fieds and everything I need to achieve a successful outcome of this project. The potential application of hop as a substitute for synthetic fibers will also be researched, as well as the possibility of using this method in other plant fibers.

Together, we can give new meaning for this wonderful fiber, presenting the textile industry with a natural, eco-friendly and resistant plant-based material.

THANK YOU

ArtEZ Future Makers and Practice Held in Common, for believing in my project and for all the support.

And also a special thank you to the master students Julia Ruiz Capella, Gwendolyn Hoffmann, Dieke Kortekaas and Joliese Teunissen from Wageningen University for their research and contribution.

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions about the project or would like to collaborate in any way, feel free to contact me:

[email protected] / +31 6 45485832

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