Shirt made out of upcycled milk? Softer-than-cotton, antibacterial, and stylish.
Every day, tons of milk is wasted for improper human consumption. A Los Angeles-based startup by the name of Mi Terro is taking some of that milk and using it to create T-shirts, that reportedly have some big advantages over regular cotton Tees.
Mi Terro collects milk from its dairy farm partner, skims it to remove fats before dewatering it to become powdered milk. It is then dissolved and purified to remove and substances that are not casein – the proteins that make up a large proportion of milk. Once the casein is isolated, it is immersed in an alkali solution and passed through a spinneret to solidify the proteins into fibers. After this, it is removed from the alkali solution and the fibers are stretched, spun into yarn and ready to be used in the manufacturing of clothing.
Made out of that yarn, the company’s machine-washable Limitless Milk Shirt is said to have a soft, silk-like feel, while also being antibacterial, wrinkle-resistant, moisture-wicking, UV-blocking, temperature regulating and stretchable in every direction. Additionally, thanks to micro-pockets in the material, the shirt reportedly traps odors and allows for optimized airflow, helping to keep the wearer cool and non-stinky.
According to Mi Terro, every five shirts represent one glass of milk that would otherwise have been wasted. The founder and CEO of the company, Robert Luo, has been a self-avowed environmentalist since childhood, and helped created the milk shirt because he wanted to solve global dairy waste problem through means of green fashion industry.
“Mi Terro partners with Eden Reforestation Products to plant 10 trees for every product sold,” according to Luo. More than 2,700 trees have been planted so far, in spots were deforestation is a problem, such as Indonesia, Haiti, Nepal and Madagascar.
Should you be interested, the Limitless Milk Shirt (along with Limitless Milk Underwear) is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of $25 USD will get you a pair of the milk underwear (40% off planned retail $44), while $35 USD is required for one of the shirts (40% off retail $59).
