Brussels researchers display mycelium-based fashion and furniture at Milan Design Week
Researchers from Brussels are travelling to Milan Design Week with designs based on mycelium, the root structure of fungi. They have processed the material to create an alternative to animal or synthetic leather.
Two years ago, researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) created a handbag based on mycelium. Now their focus has shifted to other product categories.
PhD researcher Annah-Ololade Sangosanya has developed a complete coat, while colleague Anouk Verstuyft has created a collection of furniture.
The fungal threads can grow on various organic waste and by-products from agriculture and industry.The new products show that mycelium is suitable as a textile for scaling up to more complex fashion products, the VUB says.
"We are not only developing new materials, but also innovating research methodologies"
“Science and design merge seamlessly here. We are not only developing new materials, but also innovating research methodologies,” Sangosanya said.
"We experimented with residual flows from the agricultural and textile industries, such as textile waste and dye wastewater. This wastewater, which is normally considered toxic, was converted by the fungi into non-harmful products.”
The research is part of the MycoMatters project, financed by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). The designs will be on display at the Isola.Design event during Milan Design Week, which runs until Saturday.
#FlandersNewsService | Mycelium leather jacket by Annah-Ololade Sangosanya (right) © ANNAH-OLOLADE SANGOSANYA
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