Jenazia Conway
Juanli Carrion
Sustainable Systems
April 18, 2018
Kombucha Leather Experiment
For the kombucha leather experimentI had to create a prototype made completely out of the material and this prototype had to be something that would be used daily. After growing and observing the physical properties of my kombucha leather I decided the best design for my prototype would be a wallet
To begin with this project I had to first go through the procedure of growing and preparing the leather. It is required that you first begin with boiling water and adding green tea bags alongside with adding sugar. Then after making sure all of the equipment is sterile you take the green tea and poor into the container given, once done you spill is what is called “scoby”. This scoby is the kombucha live cultures and is what is supposed to grow inside the tea mixture. Then lastly you add vinegar and keep this container near a warm place so it can grow. The first few days were easy then the heat was cut off without my knowing and my leather stopped growing due to me not keep the temperature in my home consistent, so my leather is on the thinner side. After the growing and drying process was completed I observed the shape, texture, and flexibility of the leather to further decide what I would do for the final project. Following the guidelines of an object that can be used everyday while also keeping in mind that it can’t get wet
To create my wallet I first began to look back at my previous sketches and realized that sue to the little amount of leather I grew, most of my prototype design concepts were not going to take place so I had to go back to the drawing board. Also the scoby disk never sank to the bottom so it actually became this part of the leather that was super thick. Because of its position in the material I had to use a scissor to remove which took away from the little amount of material I had to begin with.
I would apply this design in real life by advertising this in small coffee shops or clothing stores, and I would also advertise how its way more sustainable then regular leather wallets. But before applying it to real life I would experiment more with the recipe to make the kombucha more durable the way a wallet should be. I would also inform interested customers on how they are helping make the environment cleaner and more sustainable by purchasing it.
