BioRunway reading list
Learn more about textiles and biomaterials
The BioRunway team are all big readers and we thought you might be, too! From furs to silk, cotton to polyester, humanity's relationship with textiles is intertwined with every step of our history (and prehistory!) Whether you want a far-reaching overview, a single-textile deep dive, or a biotech primer, there's something on our list for every curious mind.
We'll update this page as we read new books that we think you'll love. Have a book recommendation? Email team@biorunway.com.
Empire of Cotton
by Sven Beckert
As BioRunway has already demonstrated, cotton is a biomaterial. It also reshaped our world, economies, and culture. Beckert explores the political journey of cotton, from a fabric rarely seen in Europe to the center of capitalist growth, including expropriating land from indigenous people and the mass enslavement of Africans. While this isn't as closely tied to how cotton has evolved and been selectively bred, it shows in detail the effect textile manufacturing can have on the world at every level.
Genentech
by Sally Smith-Hughes
Today, biotechnology company Genentech is a stalwart of industry — a multi-million dollar multinational with decades of proven R&D success. But go back to its founding and there was little trust in its mission or ability. Sally Smith-Hughes explores the company's founding from before it was even a glimmer, through to its Wall Street triumphs. While Genentech isn't in the textile innovation game, its story aptly demonstrates the potential (and pitfalls) of commercial biotech to solve some of humanity's stickiest challenges.
The End of Fashion
by Teri Agins
What is “fashion”? Zendaya on a red carpet? A Vogue cover? The latest must have on TikTok? Long before Shein and similar dominated clothing retail, journalist Teri Agins looked at the shift from Paris fashion houses leading the way to consumer driven trends, from expensive clothes being a badge of success to a culture of bragging about budget-conscious outfits. Agins explores how marketing, not design, became the queen of clothing.
The Fabric of Civilization
by Virginia Postrel
Across a range of languages, from English and Greek to Sanskrit and Chinese, the words for weave and textile are the root for words we now use to describe the modern world such as technology, scripture, organization, or achievement. Virginia Postrel uses this fact in her introduction to lead us to her thesis: that every stage of civilization connects to textiles. She builds her argument step by step, visiting stone age Neanderthals, 3000 BCE Peru, medieval Holland, renaissance Italy, and more along the way. An accessible book with a global span, it easily leads us to BioRunway's central question today: where could the textile industry take us next?
The Golden Thread
by Kassia St. Clair
From linen to cotton to rayon; the simplest weave to the high tech spacesuit — Kassia St. Clair tells the story of humanity from a perspective of fabric and textile. Because metal survives decay better than fabric, we talk about the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age, but just as impactful was the move from furs to weaving and sewing. This book is a refreshing reframe, especially on a skill and industry often considered "women's work".
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