Brand Duedilatte develops hypoallergenic and softer milk-based fibers

The fashion industry is currently the second largest industry in the world with environmental impact, and is only behind the oil and gas industry. In order to protect the ecological environment, some new materials made of natural materials came into being.

Italian start-up fashion brand Duedilatte was founded in 2013 by veteran textile researcher Antonella Bellina. Headquartered in Tuscany, Italy, the company develops milk-based fiber fabrics. A cup of coffee with expired milk inspired Antonella Bellina, which gave her the idea of ​​using expired milk to make eco-friendly fabrics.

Casein in milk is very similar to protein in wool, and the process of making milk-based fabrics is much like making cheese. The factory powders the casein extracted from the milk and makes the powder into fibers through a special machine like marshmallow. The fibers produced are pure white, and Duedilatte uses the natural stains of strawberries or coffee to dye the fibers as needed. The milk by-products after the casein extraction can be used to feed the animals without causing waste.

Milk-based fibers not only rejuvenate expired milk, but also reduce the use of water. It takes 50 liters of water to make 1 kg of cotton fiber, and only 1 liter of water is needed to make 1 kg of milk-based fiber.

Antonella Bellina said that Italy wastes 30 million tons of milk and dairy products every year, so they can collect expired milk from many places for free, greatly reducing fiber development and production costs.

The idea of ​​making fibers from milk is no longer news. In the early twentieth century, German chemist Frederick Todtenhaupt tried to make a substitute for silk , but failed. It was not until the 1930s that engineer Antonio Ferretti succeeded in producing fabrics from milk. With the support of the dictator Mussolini, the Italian textile company SNIA Viscosa began mass production of fabrics from milk, and sold the patents to Germany, Belgium, Japan and the United Kingdom. In 1937, the film company British Pathé (British EMI) also had a line in the film: "In the future, people need to choose whether they want to drink milk or milk."

However, because the milk-based fabric at that time was not as soft and durable as wool, it was also ran out when ironing, so it was quickly eliminated by more durable and cheaper synthetic fabrics. The technology used by Duedilatte perfectly solves the shortcomings of milk-based fabrics, making these fabrics moisturizing, anti-bacterial and soft. In order to let consumers experience the advantages of fabrics to the greatest extent, the brand's current products are mainly neutral T-shirts. Recently, they also developed baby clothes. T-shirts cost around $50, and baby clothes cost around $30.

Antonella Bellina said that although the Tuscan region is dominated by the textile industry, the expansion of the market is still very difficult. The first three years of brand creation were mainly used for research and product development, and did not expand the market. Beginning in 2018, the market began to accept milk-based fabrics. Currently, branded apparel is only sold in Italian boutiques, but will soon expand in other regions. They are already working with a reputable Italian brand and are also planning to sell the fiber to other brands interested in milk-based fabrics.