Change Maker Cassie Quinn on algae, flax and fashion futures

A significant breakthrough was discovering that it was possible to make materials from the fast-reproducing organism that is algae.

Working with an algae polymer with properties similar to that of petroleum-derived, environmentally impactful plastic, Quinn worked on developing a fabric that was non-toxic, water-resistant and biodegradable, incorporating natural dyes before spinning the thread to reduce water usage and production-related toxicity. ‘Whenever I look at a new material, there’s no waste in my eyes, I’m just thinking, what are all the different waste streams that are produced and how can they be re-incorporated back into the process?’

Another unlikely rediscovery and material reconsideration was flax – the plant-stem, bast fibre that has been used to make hypoallergenic, moisture-resistant and breathable linen for over 30,000 years. ‘Flax used to be a massive industry in Ireland [Quinn grew up in Belfast]but it’s only really used to manufacture linen. And linen’s particular qualities – its tendency to wrinkle and slub – restricts its use in the fashion industry.’ Quinn only sees the positive – that linen is biodegradable and breaks down in just a few weeks when buried in soil. At CQ Studio, using a combination of traditional craft techniques and modern, innovative processes, a length of flax can be employed to make eco-friendly faux leather and fur.

‘Biomaterials (like flax fibres) are very important because they’re non-invasive on our planet and the environment,’ says Quinn. ‘I think we sometimes forget that a polyester T-shirt is essentially choking our Earth. And when we work with materials that are biodegradable, it means that we’re not having [such] a negative impact on the planet.’