GOZEN’s new biomaterial scales up in first commercial range

Lunaform is an advanced biomaterial, which first featured in Balenciaga’s LUNAFORM Maxi Bathrobe Coat.

The biotechnology startup’s design-led approach and commercial scalability will finally make biodesign a reality for global fashion and design brands, and is the result of less than three years of rapid GOZEN progress.

Nature and technology enable a new design vision
With its artisanal qualities and innate strength, Lunaform redefines material possibilities. A nanocellulose biomaterial, it is crafted in collaboration with nature, harnessing the ingenuity of microorganisms to create a fibrous biological lattice. This is achieved through a process of controlled fermentation; guided by BioCraft^™ technology and backed by centuries of knowledge.

Lunaform: A breakthrough in biomaterials
Lunaform is 100 % biobased in its wet state (as certified by USDA) and grown on site in seven days with minimal inputs required. The material’s cascading drape, tensile strength and unmatched versatility position it as the natural successor to traditional materials - one source offering infinite possibilities.

With its fibrous cellulosic structure, Lunaform possesses a fabric-like quality uncommon in nonwoven textiles. Unlike today’s materials and alternatives that seek to mimic them, it enables designers to bring new forms to life that are both natural and futuristic.

The debut Lunaform range
GOZEN’s Lunaform range introduces three distinct collections which herald the beginning of a new material reality:
● ORIGINS reveals the trail of fibrous patterns left by the activity of microorganisms during its creation.
● TRANSPARENT is the first-ever commercial translucent collection created with nanocellulose, a look that cannot be achieved with untreated animal leather.
● INDIGO is a highly striking, artistic material finish which challenges the boundaries between textile, leather and denim. Illuminated by the patterns of organic design, indigo is positioned as the next step for a craft steeped in heritage and tradition.

The inaugural Lunaform range is positioned as an open-world exploration of the possibilities for human-nature collaboration. Colourways include blue hues nodding to the material’s water-borne origins; translucent pink drawn from cosmic inspiration; and matte black, spotlighting the spontaneous prints of its biological origins.

Vast new facility
Gozen’s 4,000m² facility is a thriving material ecosystem in Istanbul, providing the capacity for brands to unlock new design possibilities and implement sustainable product creation at scale. The facility is capable of producing 14,000m² of material per year right now, with the potential to scale to up to 1 million square feet of material per year at full utilisation – equating to over 40,000 garments.

Industry-first film
To showcase the fascinating process of Lunaform creation, Gozen commissioned an artistic exploration by leading female Turkish filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist, Serra Duran, and a 30-strong film crew. Captured in the Gozen facility, the short film illuminates Lunaform from the process and people to the final product, revealing a material born from a true collaboration of human ingenuity, craftsmanship, and nature.

Ece Gozen, fashion designer and Founder and CEO at Gozen, comments “During our recent appearance at Première Vision in Paris, we were thrilled to hear that Lunaform is viewed as unique among biomaterials in having a memory of its own. Leaders from the worlds of leather, denim and textiles were excited by its different levels of touch and its ability to conform to your movement. These qualities truly open up new possibilities; for example, Lunaform can be shaped directly around a mannequin, enabling designers to experiment live without cutting, stitching or backing material.” AT

www.gozen.world