Patrick McDowell, the London-based designer known for his sustainable luxury designs, has announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Sparxell.
Sparxell is a nature-inspired colour platform technology company that creates biodegradable colourants free from plastic and toxic chemicals using plant-based cellulose.
It’s actually the first company to create 100% plant-based biodegradable pigments using natural cellulose and at Future Fabrics Expo 2025 this week the collaboration saw the unveiling of a couture gown and commercial shirt dress using the tech.
Not previously used in fashion, Sparxell’s tech creates pigments from materials like wood pulp and agricultural waste, “and marks progress away from the harms of conventional dyeing methods, such as microplastic and chemical water pollution, water and land depletion, and exploitative labour practices”.
“This is about making sustainability tangible. One piece shows what’s possible at the highest level of craft, the other makes that possibility part of everyday life,” said McDowell.
As well as pigments, Sparxell also makes biodegradable inks and embellishments such as sequins and foils “inspired by nature”. It “eliminates fossil-derived synthetic finishes and their associated excessive water consumption and carbon emissions”.
The company said it emulates “natural colour processes known as photonic colours widely seen in nature”, and claims its products “deliver rich hues and durable textures with the lowest environmental harm, allowing brands to create consciously without compromise”.
So what about the McDowell designs? The couture gown features two distinct shades of Sparxell’s signature blue — a matte finish and a shimmering effect that “captures light through structural colour rather than traditional sparkle materials, otherwise derived from synthetic dyed plastics or mined metals and minerals”. The collection also includes a bag made from NUVI’s next-gen material with a coating containing Sparxell’s shimmers.
Sparxell said these are the first commercial shades it’s launching to market, “with additional colours already available for early adopter brands”. And it added that its platform “enables unlimited colour variations to be manufactured”.
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