The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries on the planet and is rife with toxic materials. Experts agree that change is needed, but what kind of change? Could mycelium offer a possible solution?

Join us as we dig into these questions and more with people on the frontline of research into mycelium: Material Futurist Carole Collet and brand representatives from Bolt Threads, makers of Mylo. Mylo is a pioneering mycelium-based leather alternative developed for mass production. They are working with like-minded and leading brands such as Stella McCartney, Adidas, and Lululemon. Carole Collet is a professor, researcher, material experimenter, and trailblazer for new fields of material studies. She will discuss her own creative quest to discover a variety of patterning techniques for mycelium textiles, and contextualize Mylo’s work in the broader context of biodesign.

This event is part of Mycelium Millennium Talks. That explores the potential of mycelium, networks of fungal threads, to shape the future of healthy materials. Mycelium is the network of fungal threads that can be harnessed to do everything from cleaning up toxic waste sites to constructing housing to forming patterns on textiles. In these events, we’ll speak to innovators, design researchers and manufacturers who are manifesting mycelium’s potential across the fields of design, textiles, and architecture.

​​Professor Carole Collet, Central Saint Martins UAL, is co-director of the Living Systems Lab, set up in 2013 as a pioneering research group to explore living systems thinking for the pursuit of new ecological knowledge in the creative sector. She is also Director of Maison/0, a platform for regenerative luxury co-developed with the luxury group LVMH to leverage creativity at the service of ecosystem regeneration. She is recognised for her leadership in ecological design centered on biodesign and biomimicry principles. She works as a design researcher, a curator and an educator. She has forged the integration of ecological values in the design curriculum over twenty years by founding new courses such as MA Textile Futures in 2001 (now Material Futures), MA Biodesign (2019) and MA Regenerative Design (2022). Her own design work has been featured in international exhibitions such as the V&A and the Pompidou Centre. She regularly contributes to international conferences and publications on the subjects of living systems design, biodesign, and regenerative futures. She is currently a Design For Planet Fellow at the Design Council, UK.

David Breslauer, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Bolt Threads.

David leads technology innovation at Bolt, creating and incubating biomaterials for improved consumer products. His obsession with biomaterials began with graduate research on silk during his Bioengineering Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and UCSF. David has an orange belt in Krav Maga and is a great admirer of stencil graffiti.

Jamie Bainbridge, VP, Product Development of Bolt Threads.

In her role at Bolt, Jamie oversees the creation of MyloTM, a mycelium-based leather alternative, and is responsible for its high-quality, softness and drape, and ability to take on any color or emboss. She works closely with Bolt’s partners including adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney to ensure Mylo can be used in their products just like animal or synthetic leather, but with a fraction of the environmental impact.