Catalytic Clothing - HERSELF

Herself, a highly experimental, “couture” textile sculpture was first shown in October 2010 in Howard Street, Sheffield in conjunction with The University of Sheffield and Sheffield City Council. HERSELF is generation 1 of a series of cultural interventions, which will form the start of this long term, pioneering project Catalytic Clothing. Intended to illustrate in artistic form the idea that textiles can eliminate certain pollutants from the air so that we can breathe more beautifully. Herself is potentially the world’s first air purifying dress. Catalytic Clothing is a radical project that brings together the worlds of fashion and chemistry with the potential to clean the air we breathe. Employing existing technology in a new way, it seeks to explore how clothing and textiles can be used as a catalytic surface to purify air. It is the brainchild of artist and designer Professor Helen Storey (London College of Fashion) and chemist Professor Tony Ryan (University of Sheffield) – people from very different worlds whose minds have come together in highly successful art/science collaborations. HERSELF appeared at The Change Initiative, a new concept aimed at building a global supply chain for sustainable products and solutions. The first one stop shop for sustainable goods and solutions opened in Dubai, UAE in April 2012. Innovative solutions to reduce human impact on the environment are demonstrated live in the store. HERSELF alongside The Catalytic Clothing Story film was shown as part of the FUTUROTEXTILES 3 exhibitions. The MPU of Herself was launched in a viral campaign in June 2011 - http://www.vimeo.com/2471228