Bio-Inspired Textiles (BIT) is a research initiative funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of the Leadership Fellows scheme. The project identifies the potential for nature inspired design to enhance current sustainable and circular textile practice but also recognises barriers in the disconnect between biomimetic research and stakeholders from the textile and fashion communities. BIT aims to develop a framework that enables designers to engage with and apply concepts from biology into their practice.

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In response to the current challenges of global production and consumption practices highlighted in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation ‘A New Textile Economy’ report (2017) and Goal n.12 of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, BIT seeks to answer the call for practical approaches to the design and production of sustainable textiles within a circular economy.

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BIT draws on the framework pioneered by Naleway et al. (2015) referred to as 'Biological Structural Design Elements' (BSDEs) as a point of departure. BSDEs provide streamlined information on the nature of mechanisms and behaviours in various biological materials (including, for example, their toughness and strength) to inform the design and development of composite materials for materials science communities. By adapting the BSDEs model, BIT research creates a more relevant bio-informed framework tailored to textile design communities.

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