The Exploring Jacket isn’t your regular anorak. Its color comes not from dyes, but from a pigment-producing bacteria called Streptomyces coelicolor. When applied directly to a fabric and left to incubate, the bacteria cells produce a compound in a spectrum ranging from reds and pinks to blues and purples—in eye-catching patterns that evoke the grain of polished marble.
This jacket is just one of the unusual products for sale on Normal Phenomena of Life (NPOL), an online platform launched in 2023 by Natsai Audrey Chieza, the founder of London-based R&D studio Faber Futures, and Christina Agapakis, the creative director of Boston-based biotech company Ginkgo