Seaweed dress worn by Chappell Roan highlights fashion’s renewable future

In New York, Caroline Zimbalist, a fashion designer known for turning kitchen ingredients into couture, has gained acclaim for creating a seaweed-based dress worn by pop star Chappell Roan.  Zimbalist’s designs are crafted from biodegradable materials like corn starch and seaweed-derived thickeners, which she molds into decorative elements before stitching them into custom garments. Though not yet available in stores, her work is part of a growing movement to rethink fashion’s reliance on petroleum-based synthetics.

Since dressing “Pink Pony Club” singer Roan, Zimbalist has dressed stars including Atsuko Okatsuka and Reneé Rapp, using what she calls a “unique recipe of biodegradable and natural materials.”