How Mushrooms Are Sparking a Fashion Revolution
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Here's a fun fact: People around the world have been using fungi to make fabrics for nearly a century: as early as 1903, artisans in Alaska were making bags from the sturdy agarikon fungal material native to the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Romanians, on the other hand, have searched the forests for hoof fungi and shaved them lengthwise with scythes into gingerbread-colored strips, which have been hammered and stretched to form broad, felt-like sheets for subs, bags, jewelry, and decorative items. However, none of these attempts have resulted in large-scale and mass production. The biotech company MycoWorks recognized the potential and created a fashion revolution based on it.
And today, MycoWorks' ideas and technology produce amazing achievements: the company, headquartered in Emeryville, California, has been granted more than 75 patents and currently employs more than 160 people in the United States, France and Spain. It also works with high-end companies such as Hermes, as well as furniture maker Ligne Roset and GM Ventures, the investment arm of General Motors.
Reishi™ is MycoWorks' now-patented material made from engineered mycelium and utilizing MycoWorks' technology to create a strong, interlocking cellular structure. The resulting fabric can be grown into specific shapes and sizes, reducing the potential for material waste. It is strong and durable and mimics the look and feel of cowhide.
In addition, MycoWorks owns a 136,000-square-foot incubation facility in South Carolina: under dim red lights similar to a darkroom, stacks of metal trays are arranged in tall columns, each incubating a mesh of filaments that combine soft, dense, and sturdy qualities.
In 2023, MycoWorks unveiled three accessories designed by Reishi™ In a press release, Patrick Thomas, former CEO of Hermès and member of the MycoWorks Board of Directors, said, "This is the moment the luxury industry has been waiting for; a plastic-free alternative to leather that offers undeniable beauty and performance! ." "Now that the supply challenge has been resolved, the brand will quickly commercialize the merchandise made from Ganoderma." And Matt Scullin, CEO of MycoWorks, said, "There have been two barriers to finding a luxury leather alternative for decades: product quality and mass manufacturing." "In 2016 we eliminated the first one by introducing the world to Ganoderma; in 2023 we're answering the scale question nicely with this state-of-the-art facility in South Carolina."
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