London Fashion Week, which took place at the end of February, is one of the most influential events in the global fashion calendar, bringing together designers, brands, buyers and media from around the world.
In recent years, the event has also become an important platform for discussions around sustainability and innovation in textiles, and so it is no surprise that London Fashion Week is taking a leading role within the fashion industry by introducing stricter environmental standards, supporting sustainable designers, and promoting innovative materials and circular fashion practices.
This year was the first year in which the British Fashion Council formally adopted Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Sustainability Requirements for designers supported by NEWGEN, a talent incubator offering the chance to showcase at London Fashion Week. London is the first of the four ‘fashion capitals’ to implement the framework, and it was also the first Fashion Week to ban real fur and animal skins.
Like in many industries, the transition to more sustainable practices within the fashion industry presents major challenges, but it also creates significant opportunities for innovation. One exciting area of innovation is in the development of biomaterial-based textiles. Biomaterials offer sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based synthetic fibres, but several challenges must be overcome before their commercial potential can be realised.
The science of biomaterials
Biomaterials for use in textiles are typically made from naturally occurring biopolymers which can be extracted from or synthesised in living organisms, such as bacteria, plants, algae and fungi. Biopolymers often possess inherent properties which make them particularly well suited to the manufacture of fibres and fabrics, such as high tensile strength, elasticity and durability. For example, microbial silk (polymeric amyloid) fibres have been produced which exhibit greater strength than natural spider silks, and these microbial silk fibres have already been used to produce garments, such as silk ties and designer dresses. Fungal-based materials have also been developed which exhibit comparable properties to leather, while also being environmentally friendly and vegan.
The ability to produce biopolymers in biological systems provides a plethora of advantages. Microbial‑based biopolymer production enables rapid and controlled production from renewable starting materials, such as glucose, plant sugars or agricultural waste. Microbes can also be engineered to modify the existing properties and introduce entirely new properties to the biopolymers, e.g. inherent colour properties.
Although biomaterials offer significant environmental benefits, several challenges currently inhibit their widespread adoption. For example, production costs are typically much higher than for petroleum‑based synthetic fibres, such as polyester, which benefit from pre-existing and well‑established petrochemical processing infrastructure. Similarly, while production of small amounts of biopolymer can often be readily achieved in the lab, scaling production processes to the levels required for industrial production can be slow and costly.
These challenges must be overcome before biomaterial-based textiles are widely available, and at costs acceptable to the typical high street consumer.
Biomaterials at London Fashion Week 2026
While scientists and engineers work to overcome the challenges outlined above, top designers are already embracing biomaterials and London Fashion Week provided the perfect opportunity to display their work. A few of our favourites from London Fashion Week 2026 are highlighted below:
- Vin + Omi are British eco-designers with a reputation for transforming waste materials into high-fashion articles. Their London Fashion Week collection included pieces made from holly, nettles, butterbur and wood clippings. A particular highlight was a suit crafted from holly trimmings taken from King Charles’ Sandringham Estate. Cellulose was extracted from the holly and spun into fibres which were then dyed with beetroot. This isn’t the first time Vin + Omi have made use of waste from the Royal Estates, they previously exhibited a collection of 26 garments in an exhibition called “Royal Garden Waste to Fashion’s Future”.
- Genaro Rivas is a Peruvian Designer who emphasised regenerative biomaterials in his London Fashion Week collection (“A Glass to Break”). The materials used in his work included textiles made from regenerative fibres which play a role in actively restoring wetlands and reducing reliance on feather and synthetic fillers, leather made from upcycled banana crop waste, and plant‑based fur.
- Stella McCartney headlined London Fashion Week with a curated collection celebrating sustainable British material innovation. The collection included plant-based alternatives to feathers, mycelium-based leather substitutes and biobased, plastic-free sequins.
Protecting biomaterial-related innovation
For innovators looking to develop new biomaterials or new production processes, patents provide a powerful tool to protect their innovation and support their commercial development. As with any technology, the existence of a patent portfolio can help to attract investors and can provide a commercial advantage over competitors who might be looking to work in a similar area.
The key patentability considerations for biomaterial-related patent applications are the same as for any type of technology area, i.e. the invention must be novel, non-obvious and industrially applicable. Given the wide range of technical challenges in this area, there are a large number of ‘technical problems’ which can be overcome to demonstrate non-obviousness. Data which demonstrate that the newly developed biomaterials and/or processes are superior to those which are already known are very helpful in this regard. For example, a patent application may demonstrate that a newly developed biomaterial exhibits improved properties (e.g. improved flexibility, durability, tensile strength or water resistance) or that a newly developed process can be scaled to an industrial level without sacrificing the quality of the biomaterial.
While the first patent filing is often the most important, it is essential that technical advancements made while developing new biomaterials and processes are well recorded, and that the patentability of these advancements is considered in their own right. It may be commercially astute to retain some of these developments as trade secrets, but it is important that key technical developments which will be published (or which could be derived from the product) are properly protected by registered IP. The continual development of a patent portfolio will ensure that commercial products are robustly protected.
Conclusion
The science behind biomaterials is rapidly evolving, and overcoming existing challenges will involve multidisciplinary solutions which combine biology, chemistry, materials science, biotechnology and industrial engineering to create sustainable textile alternatives. As research advances, biomaterials are likely to play a major role in reducing the environmental footprint of the textile industry and it may not be long before they become a staple of high street fashion brands.
Mathys & Squire have extensive experience working with clients to protect their biomaterial innovations, supporting highly successful sustainable fashion companies, such as Colorifix. If you would like to find out more, please get in touch with a member of our team via our enquiry form.
