Mycelium Armour

Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom), textile, beeswax

How will our clothes protect us in a future where the climate is radically different? As part of the course "Fireproof and Water Resistant" at the Köln International School of Design, I develeoped this prototype for an armour made from mycelium. I was interested in the way mycelium interacted with textiles, and the properties it could imbue our clothing with, such as fireproofness. I was also interested in whether mycelium, grown in a liquid substrate, could make a leather like fabric. The design of the armour itself is based on circular patches, as the mycelium is grown in round petri dishes.