Written by: Riley Labrosse
Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago Expert Discussion
Last month Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago, as part of its Spring 2026 programming, organized a community discussion on emerging textile manufacturing science featuring expert guest panelist Professor Cécile A. C. Chazot. Chazot is Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and head of the Sustainable Polymer Innovation (SPIn) Laboratory, a research hub focused on sustainable polymer manufacturing.
View the full recording here.
What is a polymer?
A polymer is the chain of molecules that constitutes any and all textiles, including synthetic fibers such as polyester, which is derived from petroleum. To make it simpler for those without a mechanical engineering degree, Chazot explained that polymers are akin to “a bunch of beads that have been banded together to make a chain necklace.” How these “necklaces” are then chained together in creating a fiber determines important properties like texture and ease of dyeing.
Synthetic and natural polymer sustainability concerns
Creation of synthetic textiles poses significant sustainability risks throughout a garment’s lifecycle. Chazot explains the issue with synthetics begins at the start of a garment’s lifecycle: “Synthetic textiles are designed for performance, they are not designed for recyclability. This idea [of recycling] wasn’t in mind when the textile was first invented roughly thirty years ago. The goal was to make more elastic, durable, and wrinkle free fibers, not sustainability or recyclability.”
Chazot explains that biopolymers, polymers that are naturally created and biodegradable, have been marketed as the most sustainable option to create textiles, yet this may not always be the case; while the fibers that biopolymers produce are derived from natural plants, bacteria, and other living organisms, extracting biopolymers requires substantial amounts of energy, space, and human labor resources.
Innovations in textile dyeing
One of the predominant issue Chazot identifies during textile manufacturing is the dyeing process. “Do you want every bit of fabric to be the same boring beige color? No, you’re going to want to dye it. You’re going to have to use some pretty harsh chemicals, even when using natural dyes, the dyes and bleach used pose a serious risk to human health.”
This is where Chazot’s lab comes into play, her team asks if all these steps are absolutely necessary in creating a fabric. The lab has primarily been focusing on coloring textiles by harnessing spectral colors, a technique that physically manipulates the surface of the material to produce particular wavelengths of light along the visible color spectrum, thereby eliminating the need for dyes. The research team has been able to create a few meters of this fabric, and has been in talks with companies such as Under Armor and Lycra to explore collaboration. This technology is an inspiring step forward for not only the fashion industry, but any industry using textiles in any capacity.
Get involved
For those that are interested in this work, there are potential opportunities, from high schoolers to PDH candidates, to shadow in her lab. More information about the SPIn lab and how to get involved can be found on the Northwestern website. To connect further with Professor Chazot’s, follow her on LinkedIn where you can stay up to date with the current status of her lab and her work in general.
