A very special look has been presented at Paris Haute Couture Week by fashion designer Iris van Herpen - a dress made from light-emitting algae.

The bioluminescent dress is created from 125 million living algae cells and is the work of biodesigner Chris Bellamy, who collaborated with biophysicists Nico Schramma and Mazi Jalaal from the University of Amsterdam. The completely unique garment is one of 17 looks brought to the catwalk in van Herpen's new collection, Sympoiesis.

Light-emitting algae

The dress is composed of a gel material that incorporates millions of single celled bioluminescent algae of the species Pyrocystis lunula, named for their moon-like shape. These cells are responsible for the bioluminescent blooms of algae that can cause a mysterious glow on the sea, especially where waves break at the shore.

In the wild, the bioluminescence of the algae is caused by its own defence mechanism – disturbances in the water when a predator approaches causes a bioluminescent flash. This serves as a warning signal and can attract secondary predators, that hunt the primary predator of the cells.

Jalaal and Schramma had previously studied the cells' response to natural stresses in laboratories at the University of Cambridge. By combining microscopy and mechanical tests, in which the scientists hold single cells with micropipettes and gently indent them at various speeds and to various depths, they were able to measure the light-emission of the cells depending on the various ways of deformation. This led to a mathematical model to describe the complicated light production mechanism, published in Physical Review Letters.

From physics to fashion

Subsequently, the researchers collaborated with Chenghai Li and Professor Shengqiang Cai at the University of California, San Diego. Together with bioluminescence researcher Professor Michael Latz from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, they developed a novel material: by incorporating the cells in a gel matrix they created a flexible yet resistant substance which emits light upon deformation while keeping the cells alive even outside of water.

In their collaboration, Schramma and Jalaal extended their model to predict light emission based on the deformation of these complex material probes, rather than just of single cells. New materials bring innovation – and soon this particular material found various applications, especially in art and design.

Biodesigner Chris Bellamy used the materials to cast various objects - including a drum and a swimsuit - in collaboration with artistic communities in French Polynesia, for whom bioluminescence of the sea is a more common phenomenon. The next step was to enter the world of couture fashion.

Bellamy developed and refined the bioluminescent material in a collaboration led by Amsterdam-based fashion designer Iris van Herpen. He refined the methods for production of the material and succeeded in creating the mechano-responsive bioluminescent elements in the garment, which was designed and crafted by van Herpen.

A living garment

The result is a beautiful merging of nature, physics, design and fashion, with the live algae emitting light in response to the movement of the wearer. To keep the garment alive, it must be attentively cared for as a living system, with humidity, temperature and circadian rhythm all tuned to the natural marine home of the algae - a constant reminder of our responsibility to preserve the natural world.