Drink or put: where, when and how clothes were made from cow’s milk and why they stopped

In 1909, Italian scholar Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published his Radical Futurist Manifesto, a document in which praise of technological breakthrough ignited the Italian Futurist movement and called for innovation and decisive action. Fashion was the passion of the futurists – of course, because it was in Italy!

They wanted manufacturers to make clothes from new materials such as paper, cardboard, glass, foil, aluminum, rubber, fish skin, hemp, and gas. In 1920, the Futurist Women’s Fashion Manifesto added a new material to this list: milk. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German chemist Frederick Todtenhaupt was already trying to make threads from milk casein, but he had neither the patience nor the resources.

But Marinetti’s ideas found an influential patron – dictator Benito Mussolini. He dreamed of creating all sorts of artificial materials – in his opinion, this approach made Italy invulnerable in wars.

The large Italian factory SNIA Viscosa became the base for experiments. This is where the fiber was made, which is still used today – viscose, “paper” silk. In 1929, the country became the first producer of this material in the world.

And in 1935, SNIA Viscosa acquired the rights to a new fiber, synthetic milk-based wool. Italian engineer Antonio Ferretti, taking Todtenhaupt’s attempts as a basis, developed more advanced technology. The new milk fiber was called lanital (it meant lana, wool + ital, Italian).

The process was as follows: skimmed milk was mixed with acid, resulting in the release of casein. Then it was dissolved again until a viscous consistency formed, then passed through a very fine “meat grinder” and soaked in a bath with a fixer. Threads were obtained, from which soft warm material was woven. Italy, with its volume of dairy industry, could dress not only its citizens, but also half the world in lanital. Mussolini was delighted – contemporaries recalled that the dictator was literally obsessed with lanital.

The fiber has even reached the American market. Thanks to a successful public relations campaign with the participation of the main fashionistas of the time, the fabric is perceived as an extremely refined material. In the United States, lanital was sold under the name Aralak.

However, the popularity of milk wool was ultimately very short-lived. Fascinated by the advanced fiber, consumers could not fail to notice one very important thing – when wet, the fabric began to emit a monstrous putrid odor.

The production of fabric from milk using Ferretti technology completely ceased in the world in 1948. Lanital and aralak replaced other synthetic fabrics that were cheaper to manufacture and without unpleasant shades. However, this does not mean that mankind has completely abandoned the idea of ​​dressing in dairy products – some modern functional fabrics are made with the addition of casein. The trend towards environmentally friendly consumption and careful disposal dictates its own laws – and the achievements of the 21st century offer many more opportunities. Let’s wait!