MycoTEX, a 100% biodegradable material based on mycelium, the root of mushrooms, has been named one of the five winners in the 2018 Global Change Award. The Award is one of the world's biggest challenges for early stage innovation and the first such initiative in the fashion industry.
Combined with 3D technology, Aniela Hoitink found a way to produce custom-made clothes out of this new natural fiber without the need to cut and sew. Once you've worn it out, simply bury the garment in the ground to decompose.
"By winning the Global Change Award, we can take our amazing technology to the next stage by speeding up the research process, which will allow us to get investors on board," Hoitink commented. "We already got their interest, but we need to improve the material more before the investors can come onboard. This award will help us to get there. The grant will be used to work on improving the material, hiring a microbiologist and setting up a small lab at our studio for quicker research."
Photo: Aniela Hoitink