Revolutionary biomaterials
for forward thinkers.
Performance
meets possibility.
Using cutting-edge technology modeled on nature’s own design, Polybion™ grows premium, high-performance biomaterials from fruit waste.
From linear to circular
From leftover to constructive
From old ways to Celium™
We believe biology is the best tool to face our global challenges. We use locally produced agro-industrial fruit waste as raw material to craft forward-thinking biomaterials such as Celium™- Premium Cultivated Cellulose. By manufacturing with the building blocks of life and circularizing supply chains, we produce a superior material while prioritizing our planet.
Natural systems are cyclical; waste becomes nutrients that initiate new growth. By learning from nature, Polybion™ developed a production model that is not linear but a loop, simultaneously alleviating three major environmental problems: livestock, food waste, and plastic. This represents a paradigm shift from centuries of resource-mining practices to the regenerative cultivation of resources. Polybion™ is proud to be leading this charge.
Founded by brothers Axel and Alexis Gómez Ortigoza with Bárbara González Rolón, PhD, Polybion™ is a diverse group of biotechnologists, chemists, biologists, engineers, financiers, creatives, designers, and political scientists. We take inspiration from natural processes and organisms, and we share a common dream to create a better world.
Impact requires scale
Bio innovations and sustainable solutions face a common challenge: scalability.
By 2030, as the consumer class reaches nearly 5 billion, affordability and accessibility become crucial for next-gen materials like Celium™ - Premium Cultivated Cellulose.
In 2022, we reached a pivotal milestone by launching FOAK I, the first-ever bacterial cellulose production facility. Spanning 14,000 sq. ft., it's designed to produce 1.1 million sq. ft. of Celium™ annually.
Our scaling strategy is built on three pillars: volume, consistent quality, and competitive pricing. Unlike other biomaterials, our process uses minimal infrastructure and fruit waste, leveraging existing large-scale fermentation equipment. This not only makes scaling up more feasible but also ensures our technology can be easily adopted worldwide.
During 2024, we're focusing on automating our processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and reduce cycle times.
Where biology meets creativity, the future unfolds.
Celium™
Cel (derived from the word cellulose, the most abundant organic polymer on Earth) + ium (the Latin suffix used in chemical elements)
Celium™- Premium Cultivated Cellulose, is grown by feeding bacteria with agroindustrial fruit waste. A versatile textile with endless design possibilities, it can be customized by color, graining, embossing, and water resistance—all while preserving its exceptional strength.
Celium™ is vegan and organic, and we control the thickness through its growth, making it easy to tailor. Due to its biological nature, each piece of Celium™ is unique and distinct as a fingerprint, lending it the hallmark of luxury.
Nature chose cellulose to structure many of its most precious creations. We’ve captured that wisdom in Celium™.
Technology
We industrialized cellular agriculture to biofabricate Celium™. Combining material science with bioengineering, our technology is scalable, modular, and high yielding.
In cellular agriculture, cells from fungi, bacteria, or mammals consume nutrients in a sterile environment that promotes growth. We grow Celium™ by feeding bacteria with agro-industrial fruit waste. But first, we set up the perfect environment for the cells to self-organize and they create the cellulose structure as a metabolic by-product. Once formed, Celium’s cell-based membrane undergoes a sustainable stabilization process to achieve its high-performance characteristics.
Our production model is EPA, REACH, and ZDHC compliant and concentrated within a 30-mile radius, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint. There is currently enough of the fruit waste we use to produce 168,000,000 square feet of Celium™ annually (and we have identified three other types of local fruit waste equally abundant). With zero hazardous chemicals released in any part of the process, nor significant biomass outputs between growth cycles, Celium™ is as circular as it gets.
Celium™ Returns: Polybion & GANNI’s Second Leap into the Paris Fashion Week F/W 2025
- Published on
- March 5, 2025
Once again, Paris Fashion Week shines a spotlight on next-generation materials.
Polybion proudly returns to Paris Fashion Week for a second consecutive season, advancing our mission with Celium™—our Premium Cultivated Cellulose. In continued collaboration with GANNI, Polybion is steadily turning the vision of a responsible, aesthetically innovative future in fashion into reality.
This season, the focus is on two striking XXL Hobo Bags, one in Oil Green and the other in Blackberry Wine (See look 22 and 28). Every step on the runway stands as a testament to Polybion’s commitment: progressing one cell at a time, yet with unwavering determination. This marks a new chapter where innovation meets passion, and responsible luxury takes center stage.
The Science of Scale: Iteration Requires Volume
To create a luxury piece that defies convention, the process begins long before it ever meets the eye on the runway. Iteration requires scale, and iteration is the backbone of every piece you see on stage. For this Paris Fashion Week, we provided GANNI with close to 50 grown-to-order sheets, which resulted in 12 prototypes through rigorous testing and creative exploration—until, in the end, only 2 bags advanced to the runway this time.
Every iteration, test, and adjustment represents not just a step toward a showcase piece, but a leap toward the market-ready products that redefine the benchmarks of responsible luxury and signature aesthetics. This journey is a collaborative challenge where innovators like Polybion and brands like GANNI work side by side, investing time, human ingenuity, and resources to discover the perfect match for each application. Scaling biomaterials takes time, often longer than expected, which is why commitment from all stakeholders is essential. This runway marks another chapter in the evolving story of Celium™ in the most important fashion week on the planet.
At Polybion, we cherish our partnership with GANNI, one who truly comprehends the arduous yet rewarding process of bringing new materials to the world’s most prestigious runway. We’re excited for the surprises and projects that lie ahead later this year.
Redefining Signature Aesthetics, Versatility and Performance
Celium™ isn’t designed to be a mere replica of what came before, it’s engineered and designed to set new standards through science, biology and iteration. Our biomaterial carries an intrinsic uniqueness; no two pieces are identical.This gives Celium™ a distinctive signature unmatched by any alternative.
Since last season, Celium™ has been making waves across the fashion scene, evolving through creative applications that span from small bags to oversized designs, jorts, and vests. Our previous Paris Fashion Week collaborations with GANNI revealed a dynamic range of fashion pieces—from vibrant, bacterial-marked canvases in brilliant yellows, blues, and baby pinks that captured the exuberance of summer, to iconic looks like the baby pink crop top, chic miniskirt, and hallmark Bou Bag.
This season, however, the focus has shifted to a more refined aesthetic: one striking XXL Hobo Bag in a uniform Oil Green, exuding understated elegance for autumn/winter collections, and another in a rich Blackberry Wine. These selections not only highlight Celium™’s exceptional versatility across seasons but also demonstrate that premium performance, exceptional aesthetics, and uniqueness are the outcomes of biology, meticulous scientific innovation, and the consistent collaborative work between brands and material innovators.
Celium™ has achieved a level of performance that allows it to seamlessly adapt to a wide range of design visions, thanks to years of collaboration with global brands and a relentless process of scientific refinement, a result of precision, not coincidence.
Celium™ an epic saga of creative persistence
Behind every piece of Celium™ lies an epic saga of scientific achievement and creative persistence. The scale of production, the precision of its processes, and the artful transformation from waste to high fashion pieces are all threads woven into the tapestry of Celium™.
Polybion believes in a future where sustainable innovation is not a compromise, it is the new gold standard of forward-thinking design and materials. With groundbreaking collaborations both public and private, upcoming announcements, and continuous evolution, Celium™ is poised to encourage other fashion brands to lead with vision and inspire with action.
Join the vision and inspire action.