DEVOUR
An Interspecies Collaboration between Mycelium and Humans
Devour is a wearable ecosystem that merges fashion design with fungal intelligence to address the environmental crisis of textile waste. Developed through a year-long thesis, the project explores how fungal strains can colonize and begin breaking down polyester-based textiles—transforming decomposition into both a design process and a interspecies collaborative method.
Tools Used
Vacuum Former, Sewing Machine, Laser Cutter, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Compound Microscopes, Petri Dishes, Sanitation Equipment and Tools, Mycelium Inoculation Tools, Still Air Chamber
Collaborators
Latika Balachander – Patternmaker and Design Consultant
Thesis Chair
Ayako Takase
Thesis Advisors
Joy Ko
Roxana Ghani
METHODOLOGY Devour operates at the intersection of materials science and fashion design, combining biological experimentation with wearable form development. The methodology was structured around two parallel investigations: 1.Biological Feasibility – Can fungi colonize and begin breaking down synthetic textile waste? 2.Design Integration – Can that biological activity be housed within garments, turning decomposition into an intentional and interactive process? FUNGAL STRAIN SELECTION & CULTIVATION Three fungal strains were selected based on literature regarding plastic degradation and enzymatic activity: •Pleurotus eryngii (Black King strain) •Pestalotiopsis microspora •Pleurotus ostreatus (“Poly Pearl,” a cultivated strain) Strains were expanded or directly inoculated onto textile substrates under sterile conditions. Substrate Preparation Sterilized textile substrates (polyester and poly-blends) were prepared in various formats (shredded, cut, or intact). Grain spawn was used as a supplemental nutrient source, and calcium carbonate was tested early but later omitted. CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS Fungi were incubated in sealed jars and custom vinyl pouches designed for moisture retention and gas exchange. These also served as prototypes for wearable integration. GROWTH MONITORING & ANALYSIS Colonization was tracked through visual inspection, photography, and microscopy. Key variables included substrate form, containment type, environmental exposure, and hydration. DESIGN METHODOLOGY Insights from the biological trials directly shaped the design of three garments: Ready-to-Wear, Event Wear, and Couture. Each reflected different degrees of human-fungal interaction, material visibility, and emotional storytelling.
PROCESS The garments in Devour emerged from iterative feedback between living systems and human design intentions. As fungal growth progressed across trials, its spatial, environmental, and material needs informed each garment’s structure. •Ready-to-Wear garments prioritized modularity and user care—designed for those new to interspecies systems. •Event Wear garments embedded mycelium chambers within sculptural silhouettes, focusing on public visibility and short-term wear. •Couture garments served as expressive, ceremonial forms, allowing mycelium to reshape the garment itself—blurring the human body into the fungal system. Each piece was designed not only as a fashion object, but as a wearable ecosystem—a space where both species could coexist, thrive, and transform.
FINDINGS • Pleurotus eryngii and Poly Pearl rapidly colonized polyester textiles, especially when combined with grain spawn. •Pestalotiopsis microspora colonized more slowly, but induced greater substrate change, suggesting deeper chemical degradation. •Textile waste—especially post-consumer polyester—proved to be a viable medium for mycelium under controlled conditions. •Moisture retention, material preparation, and containment stability were critical for sustained colonization. From a design standpoint, garments had to adapt dynamically to fungal behavior, shifting from rigid authorial control to collaborative responsiveness. The garments not only hosted decomposition—they performed it, inviting wearers into a material relationship defined by care, decay, and co-authorship.
CONCLUSION Devour shows that textile waste can be reclaimed not through recycling alone, but through interspecies collaboration. This work offers a blueprint for integrating living systems into fashion—not as novelty, but as a viable, ecological shift in how garments are made, worn, and unmade.
