Pilots belong on a runway

What is the role of a designer in steering and driving the take-off of a new innovation?

Written by clara nicholson

EDITED by ARIYANA RAYATT

27 November 2024

At this year’s London Fashion Week, next-generation innovators took the runway by storm. The Patrick McDowell SS25 show, titled “Portraits of a Painter,” showcased a wide array of responsible materials and processes, including the debut of OctarineBio’s PurePalette™ technology and handbags crafted from Forager by Ecovative. Designer, Patrick McDowell emphasised that fashion shows are celebrations of new design ideas, stating, “It always made sense for me that the shows should also celebrate new, sustainable ideas that could help innovate and change the industry.” They highlighted the importance of embracing the unique qualities of new materials: “Instead of thinking, how do we force it to be the same as this, it is more exciting to think, how can we work with the differences that this innovation has and celebrate them.”

Patrick McDowell Launches Octarine Bio’s Debut​

 

The collection featured the pilot of Octarine Bio’s PurePalette™ technology, a biobased dye created through precision fermentation. McDowell used this dye to craft the two featured looks, the technology represents a drop-in solution for existing supply chains, reducing both water and energy use while avoiding petrochemicals. Compared to petrochemical derived dyes, the Octarine Bio’s PurePalette™ dye utilises 61.5% less water and energy and produces 69.5% less CO2. Since 2018, OctarineBio has been developing technologies to enable this responsible colour spectrum, and with the SS25 collection, McDowell had the opportunity to “take it out of the lab and into fashion, which is their goal.” McDowell now looks forward to exploring the full spectrum with Octarine Bio and experimenting further. 

Forging Partnerships With Forager

While this was the first collaboration between Patrick McDowell and OctarineBio, the same cannot be said for Ecovative. Founded in 2007, Ecovative produces a leather-like material from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms called Forager. With over $20 million (£15.8 million) in investments and partnerships, they have focused on collaborations to bring their products to market, partnering with brands like Reformation and Tommy Hilfiger. The relationship between Ecovative and McDowell has evolved from creating a jacket for the SS24 show, to McDowell being appointed Global Design Ambassador for the company. Since this, they continue to incorporate the material into his runway collections, featuring a series of handbags in the SS25 collection. McDowell noted, “You get to know the people and the product really well […] and it feels like family.”

Working Small to Prevent Creativity Reaching Capacity

From a ‘never-seen-before’ pilot to a long-standing relationship, this collection exemplifies the diverse forms of collaboration between next-generation innovators and designers. While it may seem like a dream for small innovators to partner with large brands, the reality often involves finding collaborations that align with their capacities. “Some next-generation innovators only have their product in small sizes, and then it goes to the next phase, which is enough to make an actual garment.” In the case of OctarineBio, McDowell collaborated with them at a pivotal moment when their production enabled them to dye a few garments. He emphasised the brand’s business model: “We are intentionally small in our units so that we can focus on the pieces, allowing us to work with more innovators and explore new materials,” which helps create pieces that carry emotional stories about their origins and sustainability.

The Merging of Expertise

“I am not the right person to develop a dye—a scientist is. A designer is the right person to give feedback on whether a fabric or colour works,” McDowell stated. When Adam Smith first theorised the concept of division and specialisation of labour, he likely did not foresee the beautiful collaborations emerging between science and design. Nearly 250 years later, we see that while this division has spurred incredible advancements in biomaterial technology and inspired innovative work in design, the future lies at the intersection and in the feedback loop between the two. McDowell remarked on the development process: “It’s really amazing and exciting to develop those relationships and see the innovations evolve,” emphasising the importance of asking, “What can we make? What can we change?” to create something that can “really disrupt the industry as it is” by “using nature’s original formulas and re-entering them in new forms that can ultimately go back into the ground.”

Ultimately, the fashion industry is driven by aesthetics; without design, there is no product. Following a successful SS25 collection show, McDowell called for “more designers to use and trial next-generation innovations so they can continue to evolve and be utilised effectively across the industry.” The call to action to designers to “disrupt” the norm and embrace new and innovative ways of working is the way for innovation to come out of the lab and onto the runway to make meaningful and impactful change.

"How can we work with the differences that this innovation has and celebrate them? ”
Patrick McDowell

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