“RELOVE / RELIVE”

The RELOVE / RELIVE project is a bio-based material exploration using textile waste, undertaken during the "Nordic Biomaterial with CHEMARTS" summer course in 2022 at Aalto University in Finland. This project focused on creating bio-based materials from discarded textile waste. I worked with 100% cotton fabrics sourced from a recycling center in Helsinki, ensuring they contained no polyester fibers. The process involved extracting individual fibers through techniques like color separation and thread extraction, followed by using a spinning machine to transform the fabric into new natural fibers. These fibers were then combined with a bio-nano cellulose solution to create a 100% natural material.
 

Throughout the project, I experimented with various bio-material recipes to test the potential of textile waste in producing a sustainable bio-material. The goal was to create and generate new solutions for materials with diverse properties and appearances, all while avoiding the use of virgin materials and contributing to environmental sustainability.