About Bio-Trimmings
Bio-Trimmings is an independent, British jewellery brand that creates each unique design sustainably in the UK. We do this by extracting plant fibres from fruit and vegetable peel and pips that would otherwise be discarded. These undergo a unique extraction & dehydration process and form a hard-wearing, eco-based encasing, forming our signature Bio-Gems. These are individually handcrafted to beautifully complement recycled precious metals which are crafted using traditional, historical jewellery methods and techniques to form unique designs.
About the Founder
Designer Hoyan Ip began her journey as an unconventional fashion designer from 2012 increasingly frustrated at how unsustainable the fashion industry was. When sourcing fashion trimmings and embellishments during her Masters degree, she challenged the idea of how we could recycle and reuse food waste as a form of material, merging science with design. After many experiments at her kitchen table, she created a collection of innovative trimmings such as buttons, sequins and fashion hardware created from food waste that would feature in London Fashion Week in which Bio-Trimmings was founded. As a result, she applied the same techniques and refined it extracting plant fibres from fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be discarded, which now forms the basis of our signature Bio-Gems. Bio-Trimmings was later awarded by Innovate UK, collaborating with scientists to further develop this unique formula. It has also featured in many international bio-art awards and exhibitions across the world.
Ip was always intrigued by jewellery making; striving to design at a smaller, intricate scale. After indulging in many jewellery courses and academies across several years developing stronger skills, knowledge. & techniques.
Fast-forward to today, Bio-Trimmings continues to create wholesale buttons to fashion clientele as well as continuing her passion for creating luxury, conscious jewellery from plant fibres; each one handmade priding itself on its commitment to environmental responsibility and ethical practices in luxury design.
Raw Materials
By extracting fine, textural fibres from fruit and vegetable extract and using an often long dehydration process using natural sunlight, plant fibres are extracted to create our signature, vegan-friendly Bio-Gems. These are an environmentally-friendly, durable alternative using bio-materials and beautifully complemented with recycled sterling silver and/or layers of quality 18 carat gold vermeil or even recycled 9ct yellow gold designs using traditional jewellery techniques to form unique forms. With our plant-based Bio-Gems, we offer uniqueness in conscious design. Each Bio-Gem is unique in appearance, natural colours, textures and shapes supporting sustainable practices and reducing carbon footprint.
Recycled Silver & Gold
We use recycled metals processed by UK refiners that are dedicated to taking responsibility for adopting the best sustainable practices. For example, our recycled sterling silver come from a variety of sources such as old jewellery, industrial & electronic components. They are cleaned and melted down by expert metalsmiths, looking and feeling exactly the same as new metal just without the same environmental impact. Using recycled silver reduces CO2 emissions by two thirds compared to mined silver helping to slow the consumption of natural resources, reduces water usage and reduces the environmental impact of mining such as erosion and ground contamination.
