The year is 2082. Materials are not made, but grown; not fashioned from fabrics, but from cells. Cosmetic surgery has been replaced by tissue-engineered skin, embellished with precious stones, and our bodies are capable of growing seasonal jewellery.

Science fiction? Or a glimpse into the real fashion houses of the future?

At some point in the (not too distant) future, biotechnology is going to give the design world the biggest set of completely new materials and tools it has ever had the opportunity to play with.

Designer and researcher Amy Congdon is interested in exploring what these materials and tools will mean for design and how tissue engineering could be used to grow new biological textiles for the fashion industry.

Her exhibition, Biological Atelier: The Showroom, is a showcase of pieces that explore potential new luxury and bespoke biological textiles; a collection of jewellery and skincare produced by the ‘atelier of the future’.

In the city that was once the international centre of the cotton and textile trade, where Rolls met Royce and the first programmable computer was built, this innovative collaboration between science and craft reflects the unique heritage and contribution to scientific discovery, innovation and industry that has made Manchester the European City of Science in 2016.

Please note:

Amy Congdon uses speculative design work to investigate the implications of engaging with new technologies, such as biotechnology, and what these technologies will mean for the future of fashion and design. Some of the images used both in the exhibition and to represent it, have been altered in post-production to encourage the viewer to consider the  implications of using living materials to create our future products. For example, why change the shape of your shoulder by wearing a shoulder pad when you could grow one? More information here

Photography by Jesús Madriñán & www.lornajanenewman.com