Talk about thinking outside the box, a designer by the name of Roya Aghighi has designed clothes from algae that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen via photosynthesis. Named Biogarmentry, the clothes are the proof of concept for a textile made with living, photosynthetic cells. To make the fabric for Biogarmentry, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a type of single-cell green algae, are spun together with nano polymers. The result, which feels like linen, is “the first non woven living and photosynthetic textile” to be created.

Obviously this is quite an alternative to fast fashion – one that beckons the wearer to think and act differently with their clothing. In fact, wearers of Biogarmentry would need to take care of their garment as they would a plant in order to keep them alive, rather than engaging in the environmentally destructive practice of making synthetic clothes and discarding them after a few uses. That also means that rather than tossing them into the washing machine, the owner just needs to spray them with water once a week.

While it may seem odd to have clothing that performs photosynthesis, there’s a huge benefit that comes with wearing Biogarmentry: the immediate environment around you is improved as your clothes turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.