Designing Customizable Malleability and Padding in Fungal Textiles

Abstract

This paper presents our investigation into methods to create fungal textiles with variable cushioning and flexibility properties, for differing technical and experiential characteristics. Fungal materials have generated rising interest in design communities over the past several years, resulting in applications in packaging, building, insulation, fashion and more due to their circular lifecycle and tunable customization on a myriad of properties and scales. In the fashion industry, these novel materials have been used as leather alternatives with a broad range of applications to the human form. Imitating conventional textile behavior, these applications, however, usually retain the same characteristics throughout the breadth of the material, a departure from the dynamic living organism it was created from. We aim to bridge this gap by endowing a singular fungal textile with multiple properties, serving the dual function of highlighting its organic origins and reducing the material complexity often required to achieve such versatility in a single material. Specifically, we present our design exploration to create localized support and flexibility in fungal textiles. We explored two techniques of creating fungal textiles, investigating diverse fungal species, growth and manufacturing methods, and post-processing techniques. The new techniques and unique properties of these materials suggest promising applications in areas such as assistive wearables, enhancing both user and planetary wellbeing.