The roots of sustainable fashion

MycoTEX
Netherlands (Soest)

No, not edible clothes – but even better. MycoTEX are creating custom-made clothing from mushrooms, that produce zero waste and fit perfectly.

MycoTEX fabric is made from mycelium, the vegetative part of fungus that is typically found in soil – basically, mushroom’s roots. To build it into clothes, MycoTEX uses seamless production technology that mould it into the perfect fit without any need to cut and sew. With none of the usual measuring and trimming, there’s also no offcuts – which means no unnecessary textile waste. 

MycoTEX jacket – NEFFA in collaboration with Karin Vlug
Credits: Jeroen Dietz

Aniela Hoitink is founder of MycoTEX. “Many of us want to enjoy fashion and trends,” she says, “and want to have great feeling clothes that are made of natural materials, with a clean and transparent production method. For brands, it’s very hard to keep up with all these demands. That’s why we developed MycoTEX.”

By looking to nature, the MycoTEX team have found a way to make consumption part of a regenerative, rather than harmful, cycle: “We took inspiration from the biological life cycle. Nature has its own consumptive behaviour. Every year a tree sheds its leaves to get a new set. Could we make garments that can be grown and composted after wearing, just like the tree with its leaves?”

Clothes made by MycoTEX are vegan, and the whole process is chemical and pesticide free. And the best bit? It replaces plastics and leather with a home compostable material. You can bury your t-shirt when you no longer want it, and it will decompose naturally – returning to the soil, so it can feed the next generation of fungi. 

MycoTEX top shown during the NEFFA fashion show at Avantex, Paris
Credits: Aniela Hoitink | NEFFA

“The biggest change we want to see,” adds Aniela, “is the transformation of a cloudy and complex supply chain to a simple and transparent system. We want to change this industry from the outside and inspire a new generation to rethink the way we create products.”

AtlasAction: Follow MycoTEX on social media or donate to help Aniela realise the first collection of bags here.

Header image: MycoTEX flexible textile.

Credits: Aniela Hoitink | NEFFA

Written by

Becca Warner (22 September 2020)

Project leader

Aniela Hoitink

Partners

MycoTEX are finalists in 2020’s European Social Innovation Competition, which is organised by the European Commission, with the support of a consortium of organisations. The consortium is led by Nesta Challenges and includes Kennisland, Ashoka Spain, the European Network of Living Labs, and Scholz & Friends. ‘Reimagine Fashion: Changing behaviours for sustainable fashion’ calls on applicants to find new, creative ways to reduce the overall environmental footprint and improve the societal impact of the fashion market, so that we can bring the joy back into fashion, without the harm.

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Aniela Hoitink | NEFFA working in her studio Credits: Auke Hamers

MycoTEX samples can be dyed in different colours Credits: Aniela Hoitink | NEFFA

Creative Commons License

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