London designer foresees fabulous fashion future for fungi

In London, designer Helena Elston has debuted a collection of clothing made from mycelium and waste, including discard textiles and coffee sacks. Dubbed FI, or Fungal Integrated, the line includes a dress, suite, boots, and jacket.

The waste products are integrated into the mycelium as it grows over a six-week period. “The growing environments are basically containers where I introduce nutrients and mycelium to the garments at a specific dampness, darkness and temperature,” Elston tells design publication Dezeen. “It’s a speculative and cyclical design process, but still very plausible,” she adds.

Elston is also working on a way to use mycelium as a sewing material connecting patches of fabric.

“There is so much unknown about mycelium, but we do know that it is an intelligent living system that interconnects many parts of ecology,” she says. “I work with mycelium because it is the future of materials. I find it fascinating that we are just discovering its capabilities—there is so much more to explore.”