London ( CNN ) -- It is an unlikely collaboration : She is a fashion designer whose creations have been worn by Madonna , Michael Jackson and Prince while he is a world-renowned polymer chemist . But together , Helen Storey and Tony Ryan are fusing style and substance to create clothes that purify the air we breathe . Their `` Catalytic Clothing '' venture makes use of existing self-cleaning technology found in paints and glass which employ photocatalysts to break down harmful airborne pollutants like nitrous oxide emitted by cars and factories . Applying it to clothing is novel though , and potentially far more effective says Ryan , the pro-vice chancellor at the UK 's University of Sheffield . Some rough calculations done while attending a `` really boring meeting '' at the UK 's Royal Society of Chemistry , revealed that his suit had a surface area of about 80-square meters . `` The fibers are long and thin , so they have a very high surface area per unit mass , '' Ryan said . `` We already knew that we could get self-cleaning windows and paints . But I thought if I put a catalyst ( titanium dioxide ) on that surface I can do a lot of environmental clean-up , '' he added . When ultraviolet light hits titanium dioxide it causes pollutants to break down into non-harmful chemicals . Working with Ecover ( manufacturers of ecological cleaning products ) Storey and Ryan are hoping to deliver the technology through a fabric conditioner with nano-particles of titanium dioxide attaching themselves to clothes during a normal washing cycle . It 's a vital technical but also democratic component to Ryan and Storey 's approach . `` Rather than going down the traditional fashion route , which make a brand a pre-condition for something to happen , it 's taking advantage of human behavior as it exists -- we all wash our clothes , we all walk in the street , '' Storey explains . `` We are empowering people 's existing wardrobes with a technology that will allow them to have a significant impact on the quality of air we breathe , '' she added . `` We found out , rather wonderfully , that it works particularly well on denim jeans , '' she added while pointing out that there are more pairs of jeans than people on the planet . Ryan estimates that a pair of jeans weighing 500 grams could absorb around two grams of pollution . Storey 's journey away from commercial fashion to her current role -- she runs her own foundation and is currently professor of fashion and science at The London College of Fashion -- began in 1997 with an exhibition called Primitive Streak . Working with her sister Kate ( a developmental biologist ) she created 27 dresses which depicted the first 1,000 hours of human life . Other projects blending science with art followed before she met Ryan in 2005 collaborating on the Wonderland project where they explored sustainable ideas for packaging and environmentally-friendly fashion , which in turn inspired their latest venture . A four-minute film featuring British model Erin O'Connor and music by Radiohead was launched last year to promote the project and engage the public in the process . Ryan and Storey say more testing needs to be done to assess how the particles released during washing affect the water supply , but they 're confident a product could be on the market within the next two years . Frank Kelly , professor of environmental health at King 's College London , and an adviser on the project , says air pollution is a major challenge in the 21st century and such initiatives could help . `` We need everything possible to deal with the pollution problem in big cities and this is one more approach that has been suggested could be helpful , '' Kelly said . `` I think the technology has been proven in the laboratory but what we need now is a demonstration that it works in the real world , '' he added . It will also help get the message out about the dangers of pollution , he says . `` My ultimate stance is that we need to make less pollution as a society and then we wo n't need to come up with fancy and potentially expensive methodologies to solve the problem . ''
Catalytic Clothing project creates clothes that can purify city air . Clothes are coated in titanium dioxide which is used in self-cleaning glass . Nanoparticles added to fabric conditioner which cling to clothes during washing . Comment: