Harvest re-documenting

HARVEST your own skin

Capital Chronicle revisits the once juvenile company Harvest, who brainstormed other methods of manufacture after the sudden restrictions of animal skins used to produce clothing and accessories.

The fashion industry was struck out of luck from the lack of leathers and furs worn all over the globe produced by popular fashion companies. Icons such as Alexander McQueen, Prada and other European Fashion Houses turned in desperation to search for young technology companies to help create a man-made skin.

Harvest, a young group of scientists and designers grew company from interests in sports development. They invented the idea of the skin sticker in 2011 through studying the ideas of surface textures and the growth of a “second skin.” Harvest developed a type of revolutionary footwear from looking at the property of leeches and biological skin formation. This aided the design of the sticker to act as a cocoon attaching itself to the epidermal layers of the human skin through natural anaesthetic similar to the leech method while feeding off the dead skin and growing using temperature to harvest the bacteria.

Harvest was not only looking at skin growth but also the attachment of artificial limbs and biological enhancements interior and exterior the human body. Research started from looking into historical references of changing ones exterior over obsession rather than the physical need. Take the Chinese foot binding for example; the development of the high heel was fashioned for keeping ones feet dry from mud/water in winter because of the long dresses. The Chinese culture broke their bones and bound the toes to the sole of the foot to create a wedge like position which was originally considered beautiful. Quotes developed such as “no pain, no gain” and other variations where the human race disfigured themselves in the act of beauty.

Women still indulge in discomfort to feel beautiful which pushed the footwear designers to use newfound knowledge of bone transformation. Scientific data proved in 2011 that when a kina shell was inserted or pierced the human bone, a transformation would occur where the kind shell started to replicate the human DNA within the shell and eventually would completely transform. This was outstanding as Harvest knew the idea would be controversial but became extremely popular for woman to insert the kina shell into their heel with re-enforcements along the arch inside a shoe which acted like a cast to hold the shell in place until it created a permanent heel. Women who wore heels everyday could have a more natural support allowing their custom design to last a lifetime.

Harvest developed this idea pictured above, in the act of growing a second skin. This skin was to support the “extreme” human within their daily lives whether it be sports or other genres. When the skin sticker attached to the foot it would change the epidermal layers of the skin hence changing the DNA of the sticker. This allowed the skin to grow fur and feathers copying the properties of animals which harden their skin like leather. As the human skin layers build up, the skin sticker sheds like a cocoon resulting to be removed and a shoe or a garment is created.

Killing animals for their skin would no longer be an issue. The user themselves can grow their own leather and make their own clothing. Harvest found a way around the shortage of animal skins while still creating the same effect.
The idea where feathers can be grown would enhance fashion advantages as the colouring is dependent on the owners DNA and health to how bright the colours form.

Stages develop from a slimey looking texture which is the attachment phase to the final phase of transformation where depending on the type of sticker can grow feathers, scales and other biological lookalikes.