MYCO ROOM: The future embodiment of mycelium

About the project

When we think of fashion, we don’t usually think about biology, but in recent years both biology and design have come together to play an important role in the development of this industry as it aims to become more sustainable. The vision of this project is to show the potential of biotechnology for the making of leather-like alternatives to animal and petroleum-based leather and to explore critical thinking as a process to imagine the future uses of this material. The project also acts as a study to explore the material’s behavior and its compatibility with other design tools and processes. The overall exhibition is a futuristic playground for fungi and their role in the future of fashion and beyond. Values central to this project are interdisciplinary collaboration, sustainability, and responsible production and consumption.

About Manuel Arias

Manuel Arias is a designer working between the disciplines of design, biology, technology, and craft. Inspired by the notions of sustainability and new digital and biological tools, he has been researching the topic of mycelium-based materials and their future applications at VTT for the past 5 years.