Like silk on the skin
By Friederike Ostermeyer December 21, 2018 at 8:30 am
Every year, two million tons of milk are thrown away in Germany alone. The protein it contains can be used to produce a fiber that not only feels like silk on the skin, but also shimmers just as much. Entrepreneur Anke Domaske brought out a dairy fashion collection a few years ago, which was sold out in no time - the beginning of a fashion revolution? STYLEBOOK did some research.
Fashion designer Anke Domaske is actually a graduate microbiologist and one thing above all: a visionary. How did she come up with the idea of turning milk into fashion? In fact, the process itself is not new; milk proteins were already being processed into textiles in the 1930s. However, because that was very time-consuming and expensive and a little later the much cheaper synthetic fibers came onto the market, the "milk scam" was finally rejected. When Anke Domaske's stepfather fell ill with leukemia in 2009 and developed a severe textile allergy at the same time, the natural scientist revived the old technique: she worked in her laboratory until her stepfather was finally able to wear a T-shirt without pain. In 2011 she founded her company QMilk.
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No chemicals, 100 percent natural and theoretically even edible
While toxic chemicals were sometimes used in the production of milk fibers in the past, Domaske only uses natural additives. "My milk fiber is so pure, you can even eat it," she explains. But how does something as liquid as milk become clothing? To put it simply: If milk goes sour, flakes are formed, also known as casein. Dried, powdered and, after a few more steps, passed through a sieve, the result is an extremely fine thread that now has to be spun into a stable yarn. "If a dress is sewn from it, it feels like silk and also has a corresponding shimmer," enthuses the designer. Like other natural fibers, the milk fiber is easy to care for and can be washed at 60 degrees.
Even Hollywood loves clothes made of milk
Stars like Ashlee Simpson and Mischa Barton have already acquired a taste for it: "I just picked out a couple of Hollywood addresses and sent some of my clothes off at random," remembers Domaske. And the plan worked! For some time now, the small label has hardly been able to keep up with production, the demand is so great. “We have long waiting lists. If you want a piece from our collection, you can send us an email, but then you have to be patient.”
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Many vegans are behind the milk fiber fashion
And what do vegans think of milk fashion? "Sure, my fashion is not vegan," says Domaske. "But it's only made from milk that has been classified as no longer edible, meaning that it is no longer food and would therefore be thrown away anyway. Instead of looking at them as waste, we make something great out of them.” That's why they also get a lot of encouragement from vegans. Another lasting advantage: Only two liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of milk substance, compared to up to 25,000 liters for conventional substances. In the next ten years, the entrepreneur also suspects that more and more labels will also rely on milk fiber.
