Natsai Audrey Chieza

Last updated

Natsai Audrey Chieza
Born
Harare, Zimbabwe
Education
OccupationFashion designer
Known forBiomaterials
TitleFounder, Faber Futures

Natsai Audrey Chieza is a designer and the founder of Faber Futures, [1] a R&D studio that creates biologically inspired materials. She gave a 2017 TED talk on fashion's problem with pollution. She is Designer in Residence at Ginkgo Bioworks.

Contents

Early life and education

Chieza was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. [2] She moved to the United Kingdom when she was seventeen years old. [3] She studied Architecture at the University of Edinburgh. She then joined Central Saint Martins, where she completed a Master's in Materials Futures. [4] She worked with University College London's John Ward, a Professor of Synthetic Biology, and became interested in the sustainability of synthetic biology and stem cell research. [4] [5] [6] During this time she was Designer in Residence at the Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London. [7]

Research and career

Chieza joined the Textile Futures Research Centre. [8] She identified that streptomyces could be used as a fabric dye. [8] Streptomyces produce actinorhodin, which changes colour depending on the acidity of its environment. [9] In Project Coelicolor, these bacteria were used to dye silk scarves. [10] [11] She has exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Gallery, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Harvard Art Museums and Audax Textile Museum. [8] [12] She was a resident designer at IDEO. [13] She has taught at Central Saint Martins and The Bartlett. [14]

Chieza was concerned about pollution in the fashion industry. [15] Chieza founded Faber Futures, a biomaterial research and development studio in London. [16] [17] [18] She was chosen to give a TED talk in Tanzania on fashion's problem with pollution. She has done two TED talks from then to now. [19] [20] [21] In February 2018 she was named as one of OkayAfrica's Top 100 Women. [22] In 2018 she launched the Ginkgo Bioworks Creative Residency in Boston. [23] She was a participant at the 2018 Sci Foo camp.

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References

  1. ↑ "About". Faber Futures. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Natsai Audrey Chieza on working with nature to help solve fashion's waste problem | Design Indaba". Design Indaba. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Jones, Jonathan. "Natural Curiosity" (PDF). Natural Curiosity. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Designing a More Sustainable Future". www.thriveglobal.com. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Dazed (12 April 2011). "Central St Martins MA / Textile Futures". Dazed. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "How to co-cultivate with living technology: In conversation with Natsai Audrey Chieza, Faber Futures". MaterialDriven. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Biosalon Paper" (PDF). Crafts Council. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "Newsletter - Rotary WASH eClub". Rotary WASH eClub. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Natsai Audrey Chieza on working with nature to help solve fashion's waste problem | Design Indaba". Design Indaba. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Stylish Silk Scarves, Dyed With Bacteria". WIRED. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "Project Coelicolor - Faber Futures". Faber Futures. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  12. ↑ "Interview: Natsai Chieza Explains Her Process of Using Colored Microbial Compounds for Beautiful Textile Designs" . Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "The Beautiful Future of Living Technology". www.ideo.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  14. ↑ "Natsai Chieza - SynBioBeta 2018". 2018.synbiobeta.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "Zetteler - Natsai Audrey Chieza". Zetteler. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Future of Nature by Natsai Audrey Chieza". The Future Of_. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Color Patterns in the Clothes of the Future will be Made by Bacteria". Labiotech.eu. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "Faber Future by Natsai Chieza | Promostyl Blog". Promostyl Blog. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  19. ↑ eDuzeNet. "Zimbabwean born researcher selected to give TED Talk in Tanzania". Bulawayo24 News. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  20. ↑ Idowu, Torera. "TED is coming to Africa, here are some of the speakers". CNN. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  21. ↑ Chieza, Natsai Audrey, Fashion has a pollution problem -- can biology fix it? , retrieved 7 July 2018
  22. ↑ "Natsai Audrey Chieza". OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "Zetteler - Natsai Audrey Chieza". Zetteler. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
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