In the Netherlands, designer Dasha Tsapenko “grew” her wedding dress using mycelium and vintage linen lace sourced from Ukrainian flea markets.
“I wanted to combine something traditional and handmade with innovative biotechnology,” she told Specialty Fabrics Review. “The growing process involved literally feeding the lace to the fungi by placing the deconstructed and sterilized lace pieces in a controlled, nutrient-rich environment and seeding them with spores.”
The mycelium fused to the linen, creating varying texture and colors.
“The essence of such an item and its value lies in its uniqueness and temporality. A wedding is an emotional moment that you want to experience deeply. When that moment is over, you want to preserve it in your memory, not your closet,” Tsapenko says.
Tsapenko plans to set up a shop to create similar couture using mycelium and cellulose-based fibers or linen.