TômTex x Peter Do

Two TômTex outfits designed by Peter Do / Source: Monica Feudi

AsiaLeatherNorth AmericaRubberTextilesTômTex

5 MINUTE READ

Yasmin Ahmed

WHAT WE SAY:

When TômTex set out to prove that "waste is the new luxury", it wasn't playing. True to its word, it embarked on a venture with material innovation advocate and esteemed designer Peter Do. The result: the first ever wearable garments made from discarded shrimp shells and mushrooms.

The TômTex x Peter Do collab oozes luxe and swagger. It's a prime example of how joining forces to pool like-minded talents can inspire a fusion of timeless design and trailblazing material innovation. And what better place to unveil the limitless potential of a next-gen fabric to a worldwide audience than at fashion's biggest draw: New York Fashion Week?

KEY FACTS:

A joint venture between Vietnam-born fashion designer Peter Do and US-based biomaterials startup TômTex led to the creation of the first garments made from this innovative material, also called TômTex. The alternative Leather fabric is made from discarded shrimp shell and mushroom waste, and is fully biodegradable.
The two monochrome looks were exhibited at Peter Do's Ready to Wear S/S 23 runway show during New York Fashion Week in September 2022.
The looks featured two wide-leg, patent leather-like trousers in glossy black and tan hues, with matching tank tops. The pants were finished with stitched, panelled detailing, and the tops were embossed with a minimalist hatched pattern, showcasing the material's versatile, customisable possibilities.
The collaboration is a revival of a pre-existing relationship between Peter Do and TômTex's founder and CEO Uyen Tran which dates back to 2018, when Tran worked as a freelance fashion designer for Peter Do's label. Tran has alluded to Peter Do's philosophy as a source of inspiration for the vision she has established through TômTex, stating that "the way he prioritised community and people has profoundly impacted my view of the material world".
TômTex fabric is designed as a drop-in replacement for animal and synthetic leathers, and can be formulated to mimic Rubber, suede, latex, and vinyl. It is compatible with existing machinery and industrial sewing machines, making the transition from traditional and synthetic leathers seamless.
Regarding the collaboration, Tran said that "Peter Do and TômTex share common values of craftsmanship, quality, innovation and community", and that the joint venture will help expand TômTex's reach and "deliver more regenerative materials to the fashion market".
With 61 looks, the S/S 23 collection is available through select boutique stockists across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The collection is also available through online luxury fashion retailers, although none of the TômTex garments were available for purchase online at the time of writing.

Matching tank top and pants in tan / Source: Peter Do

A tank top and pants made from TômTex in glossy black / Source: Peter Do

DIVE DEEPER:

The fashion industry is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to pollution and waste generation, producing an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. By 2030, that figure is set to rise to a whopping 134 million tonnes. Most of this waste is either sent to landfill or burned. The industry's carbon footprint represents 10% of all carbon emissions, and the 1.4 million trillion plastic fibres floating in the ocean are directly attributed to the synthetic clothes we wear.
A McKinsey survey conducted in April 2020 reported that 67% of consumers "consider the use of sustainable materials to be an important purchasing factor". The onus is on fashion designers to embed responsible choices and practices into their design and manufacturing processes.
Luckily, a new generation of renewable materials, such as TômTex, is becoming increasingly available to brands. TômTex, a non-woven, bio-based fabric made from chitosan, is derived from a biopolymer known as chitin. It is extracted from seafood shells and mushroom waste diverted from landfill.
Following a pre-seed funding round in April 2022, which raised USD 1.7 million, TômTex is now working on scaling its production of the biomaterial to usher in the next wave of collaborations with like-minded fashion designers.
Backed by fellow designer Derek Lam, Peter Do established his New York-based eponymous label in 2018. He has previously worked for luxury fashion house Céline, and was appointed as the creative director of Helmut Lang in May 2023.
Speaking of his collaboration with TômTex, Peter Do said that "this partnership was definitely the beginning of textile innovation for us, and we're excited to continue to explore new techniques and fabrications with TômTex to move fashion forward."

"Making sure our materials can gracefully return to the Earth's biogeochemical cycles must be a key part of changing our relationship with the planet's other inhabitants and the planet itself."

Uyen Tran – Founder and CEO, TômTex – as quoted in Dezeen

Key Design Considerations:

High-end fashion is the gateway for up-and-coming materials

High-end fashion is swamped with consumers who are willing to pay top dollar for best-in-class apparel. Although alternative textiles are slowly but surely emerging, they're often inaccessible, unaffordable, and can't meet mass demand. By joining forces with a designer fashion label, TômTex is setting the bar for how similar ventures can reach a global audience, spotlight their innovations, and create a niche market for their materials. Finding a foothold in your industry is key to growth, and knowing who and what will drive demand ensures longevity.

Style meets ethics

As consumer and industry awareness of climate change gains momentum, it's important for young startups to demonstrate that their unconventional materials can compete with traditional fabrics, such as leather and suede. By weaving a clean and circular textile into his latest collection, Peter Do has shown that sustainability doesn't have to come at the expense of aesthetic quality and design. The initiative will likely garner interest from luxury fashion labels and encourage them to do the same, ditching convention in favour of responsible materials with a compelling story to tell.