In 2016 at MycoWorks’ IndieBio pitch presentation, Sophia Wang, MycoWorks’ co-founder, unveiled the first sheet of Reishi™ to reach the size of half a cowhide. The “big reveal.” It felt like an achievement, to grow such a new material from nothing in a matter of weeks. It was a remarkable achievement—and still is. Each sheet of Reishi™ is rare, high quality and difficult to make.
Today, seeing Sophia honored on a billboard in Times Square for The Conscious Fashion Campaign, we remember that first reveal.
To celebrate her nomination, we commissioned one of Sophia’s favorite local artists, Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, to create a custom piece of jewelry MDE with Reishi™: A pair of one-of-a-kind brooches to showcase our material.
Photo by Carla Tramullas
With this commissioned brooch set—each cut from their own sheet of Reishi™ half the size of a cowhide—we celebrate how far we’ve come since that first full-sized sheet. Full circle.
A storyteller all her life, Sophia stepped forward over ten years ago to tell the story of MycoWorks.
Today, we celebrate her journey and recognize her role in growing MycoWorks into a company that is making an impact—on fashion, creativity, manufacturing, and biological research.
Photo by Carla Tramullas
A brooch to celebrate coming full circle: from the beginning of the journey to the present. Each of the two pieces showcases a different selection of our Reishi™ material: Reishi™ Black and Reishi™ Natural.
Photo by Carla Tramullas
The Reishi™ Natural brooch, made from our original Fine Mycelium™ material with a natural grain and golden finish, exudes warmth and elemental presence. The unique patina celebrates the organic character of Reishi™—the fact that it comes from a living organism.
Photo by Carla Tramullas
The luxurious sheen and delicate pebble grain of our Reishi™ Black material makes the second brooch a bold statement piece, a dramatic focal point for effortless elegance.
Each Reishi™ piece is held in a circular frame hand-crafted in brass, centering Reishi™’s fineness, uniqueness, and delicate strength.
What we do here at MycoWorks is “a challenging and exciting endeavor,” in Sophia’s own words. With these one-of-a-kind Made with Reishi™ pieces, we are delighted to celebrate this moment of accomplishment along the way.
Listen to Sophia’s journey, from artist to writer and materials science entrepreneur, on our latest podcast episode: ‘Becoming Mycelial with Sophia Wang.’