The popularity of mycelium as a biomaterial ripe for exploratory application continued apace in 2024. From luxury houses to student shows, from packaging and clothing to building materials, it feels like our future may well be fungal. While the self-growing, biodegradable material has fascinating possibilities for solutions at scale, the project that stopped us in our tracks this year was remarkable for its sheer wonderment.
San Francisco-based biotech company MycoWorks was founded in 2013 by sculptor Philip Ross and artist-poet Sophia Wang with a mission to develop mycelium into materials that inspire brands, designers and artists. In collaboration with design agency Paragone, MycoWorks put its latest patented mycelium derivative, Reishi, into the hands of seven female artists and designers, whose works were unveiled in a show, titled ‘Mycelium Muse’, at the inaugural Design Miami/Paris in October.
The ‘Mycelium Muse’ collection
Reishi has a malleable texture between leather and textile, which can be dyed and embossed, and the resulting furniture, lighting and artworks were exquisite expressions of earthy, ethereal and elemental intrigue. A million miles away from the mildly tumorous, spongy mulch that mycelium brings to mind, Reishi is a material of exciting potential and outstanding beauty. And, lest we forget, beauty is seductive, and nothing propels a market forward faster than love.
A version of this article appears in the February 2025 issue of Wallpaper* , available in print on international newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
