While fashion is a passion for some, a new development suggests that clothing could one day serve you. This innovation involves a textile made from fungi that remains alive post-manufacture.
In a recent study, scientists outline the functionality of this eco-friendly material. Not only can it regenerate its surface to repair damage, but it can also incorporate engineered microbes to alter its color or add ultraviolet protection.
The concept of using mushrooms for material production is not new. Mycelium, the network of tiny filaments forming most of a fungus, has been utilized in creating alternatives for leather, packaging, insulation, and construction materials. However, these are usually made from processed, non-living mushroom material, which limits their capabilities, according to researchers.
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A full-length garment incorporating fungal textile components produced using the programmable fungal platform described in a new study.
“We wanted to ask whether a mycelium material could remain alive and programmable while still behaving as a freestanding, flexible textile,” says Bolin An, a research professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a co-author of the study.
Why pursue this? Alexander Bismarck and Mitchell Jones, researchers at the University of Vienna not involved in this study, suggest that while a living material is technically feasible, it may not necessarily be superior, safer, or more desirable than existing textiles.
Nonetheless, the work of An and his team is both visually and technically compelling. Instead of traditional weaving, the researchers cultivated dense mats of mycelium, whose threadlike filaments naturally interlace into solid sheets. The material was then treated with glycerol, a syrup-like compound that softens and makes the mycelium more flexible without killing it, resulting in a pliable, living textile.
When provided with nutrients, the fabric generates a layer of fuzzy fungal filaments, effectively rejuvenating itself.
The material is also capable of hosting engineered microbes. By incorporating yeast that produces pigments, the team created colored designs. Introducing a second fungus that naturally generates melanin provided the textile with UV protection. These experiments indicate the material’s ability to gain new functionalities post-manufacture.
“The individual components are mostly established,” Bismarck and Jones say. “The novelty lies in bringing them together within a single living-material platform.”
Currently, clothing crafted from this material is not ready for consumer use. Even if the technology advances, it may not address fashion’s sustainability issues, which largely result from fast-fashion business practices and consumer behavior rather than the materials used.
Maintaining the material’s viability is challenging; it requires specific storage conditions to avoid contamination. Moreover, the textile nearly fully degrades within six weeks, making it unsuitable for long-term use like winter coats, but potentially ideal for disposable packaging or temporary installations.
“A living curtain could provide passive ultraviolet shielding, self-cleaning surfaces or, in the future, even environmental sensing or air purification,” An says.
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