PRESS INQUIRIES
BPCM
About Mycoworks
In 2013, co-founders Philip Ross and Sophia Wang founded MycoWorks, a San Francisco-based biomaterials company dedicated to bringing new mycelium materials to the world. MycoWorks’ patented Fine Mycelium™ technology, an advanced manufacturing platform and breakthrough in materials science, engineers mycelium during growth to form proprietary, interlocking cellular structures for unparalleled strength and durability. Fine Mycelium™ refers both to MycoWorks’ proprietary process and to a new category of fully customizable materials used in the fashion, footwear, automotive, and decor industry that are exclusive to MycoWorks. MycoWorks flagship Fine Mycelium™ product, Reishi™, is a new class of premium, natural material that offers the quality, hand feel, and performance of the finest animal leathers with lower environmental impact. MycoWorks’ current brand partners are Hermès, Nick Fouquet, Ligne Roset and General Motors, in addition to a range of leading fashion houses, which are confidential partnerships. For more information, please visit mycoworks.com.
Visual Assets
Images
Reishi™
Our flagship product, Reishi™, is a new class of premium, natural material made from MycoWorks’ proprietary Fine Mycelium™ technology. Reishi™ is available in three finishes; Reishi™ Natural, Reishi™ Doux, and Reishi™ Pebble.
Reishi™ Natural
Reishi™ Natural enhances the natural richness, beauty, and variability of Reishi. It is grown with a biodegradable textile and nourished with a process that produces soft, full-bodied, luxury sheets.
Download Images
Reishi™ Doux
Reishi™ Doux is a smooth material and of a refined aesthetic that subtly reveals Reishi’s growth pattern. It is grown with a biodegradable textile and nourished with a process that produces crisp and structured luxury sheets.
Download Images
Reishi™ Pebble
Reishi™ Pebble is a supple drape with a familiar pebble texture and a soft and continuous hand feel. It is grown with a biodegradable textile and nourished with a process that produces round, full-bodied, luxury sheets.
Download ImagesFine Mycelium™ Technology
MycoWorks’ patented Fine Mycelium™ technology, an advanced manufacturing platform and breakthrough in materials science, engineers mycelium during growth to form proprietary, interlocking cellular structures for unparalleled beauty, handfeel, strength and durability.
Fine Mycelium™ refers both to MycoWorks’ proprietary process and to a new category of fully customizable materials used in the fashion, footwear, automotive, and decor industry that are exclusive to MycoWorks.
Fine Mycelium™ uses four ingredients: recycled-sawdust, mycelium, bran and water. After the fermentation process, two materials are left: a Fine Mycelium sheet™ and a composite brick.
Fine Mycelium™
Download ImagesPartnerships & Product Launches
Our main brand partners are Hermès, Ligne Roset and General Motors, in addition to a range of leading fashion houses, which are confidential partnerships. We also work closely with traditional leather craftspeople with expertise in creating finished leather goods to the highest standards.
Hermès & MycoWorks
The exclusive partnership between Hermès and MycoWorks announced the creation of Sylvania, a new hybrid material of nature and biotechnology that is the exemplar of a new generation of biotech materials. Learn more
Download Images
Nick Fouquet x Made with Reishi™
The bespoke hat-maker and MycoWorks have collaborated on a capsule collection Made With Reishi™. Learn more or visit nickfouquet.com
Download Images
Ligne Roset & MycoWorks
The sustainable materials science company MycoWorks will bring its mycelium-based leather to luxury furniture maker Ligne Roset in a first for both brands. Learn more
Download Images
GM
GM ventures and MycoWorks have announced a strategic collaboration to co-develop Fine Mycelium materials for application in automotive design. Learn more
"Fruit Bowl" by Heron Preston & MycoWorks
Multi-media artist Heron Preston unveiled “Fruit Bowl”, a first product collaboration with MycoWorks. Learn more
Download Images
Allen St. x Made with Reishi™
MycoWorks partnered with Thibault Schockert of premier fabricators, Cuir du Vaudreuil, and accessories brand Allen St. to create functional, timeless pieces available worldwide. Learn more or visit allen-st.com
Download Images
T10 Bespoke x Made with Reishi™
The ‘miniature bespoke hearable jewelry’ company T10 Bespoke collaborated with MycoWorks on a limited edition collection of six luxury hearables for Holiday 2023. Learn more or visit t10bespoke.com
Download Images
Deadwood Studios x Made with Reishi™
Deadwood Studios partnered with MycoWorks bringing to life their four-piece Mycelium Capsule collection Made With Reishi™ January 2023. In August, two products from the capsule debuted at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Learn more or visit deadwoodstudios.com
Download Images
Team
Founded by two artists in San Francisco over a decade ago, today, we have a growing team of scientists, mycologists, production and supply chain experts, engineers, storytellers, artists, and much more. Should you need pictures from more team members, please contact us.
Matt Scullin, MycoWorks CEO
Dr. Matthew Scullin is a materials entrepreneur who has pioneered several new materials into commercialization. He is currently CEO at MycoWorks, the leader in the field of Fine Mycelium™ materials (Reishi™). He is also the co-founder and board member of a stealth-mode materials company.
In 2008, he founded Alphabet Energy, the leader in the field of thermoelectric products for waste-heat recovery, and sold the company in 2019. As its Chief Executive, he led Alphabet Energy from initial concept through technology development and revenue growth for the world’s first commercial thermoelectric waste-heat recovery generators. Matt has extensive experience developing strategic corporate partnerships and selling into industries including fashion, luxury, oil & gas, automotive, steel, process heating, defense, and consumer hardware, as well as in team-building, intellectual property, product management, and venture financing.
Matt has raised over US$125 million from leading worldwide venture, corporate, private equity, angel, and debt investors. He has won numerous awards for innovation and entrepreneurship including the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. Prior to founding Alphabet Energy, Inc., he held positions at X/Seed Capital, IBM, and General Motors.
Matt received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Materials Science where his work on oxides (materials for thermoelectrics, semiconductors, and superconductors) was highly cited in leading scientific journals including Nature Materials, and a B.S.E. in Materials Science from the University of Pennsylvania, Magna Cum Laude. He is an avid cyclist and a former DJ.
Download Images
Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture
As Co-founder of MycoWorks, Dr. Sophia Wang recognized the potential of mycelium as a living material with endless aesthetic expressions, and stepped forward to lead MycoWorks’ efforts to bring mycelium materials to the wider world. As Chief of Culture, Sophia builds values and mission-driven programs to scale a company culture of innovation, service, respect and empowerment. Her values-based program leadership draws on nearly twenty years of experience as an educator, activist, and cultural producer, working with universities, art institutions and social justice movements in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sophia’s creative practice includes choreography, performance, writing, curation and producing original dance and multimedia works. She has danced for Xavier Le Roy, Tino Sehgal, Jerome Bel, Amara Tabor-Smith and Xandra Ibarra. Sophia is likewise the co-founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company. Since 2015, Wang has co-produced Heavy Breathing, a discussion and movement workshop series that has featured over 45 presenting artists working at the intersection of performance, visual arts and pedagogy. Sophia Wang earned a PhD in English specializing in 20th and 21st century experimental American poetry, and has presented her work at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, SFMOMA, and The Broad Museum, among other institutions around the world.
Download Images
Phil Ross, MycoWorks co-founder
Philip Ross, Co-founder of MycoWorks, is an artist, inventor and entrepreneur whose work is focused on the technological relationships between human beings and the greater living environment.
Phil’s creative work has been featured at Carnegie Mellon University, the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and the 2016 Venice Biennial of Architecture. His curatorial projects include a history of bioreactor design for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Critter Salon.
Download Images
Doug Hardesty, Chief Operating Officer
Doug Hardesty is Chief Operating Officer at MycoWorks. A passionate coach, leader and a manufacturing expert, he has developed pioneering manufacturing methodologies adopted by some of the largest multinationals worldwide. His trademarked methodologies have been licensed and successfully adopted by Procter & Gamble and many other Fortune 500 organizations that needed to reinvigorate their processes.
Doug worked for Procter & Gamble for over 20 years, bringing manufacturing excellence, redefining supply chains, and introducing new products to markets for a broad portfolio, from beauty to oral care and food and beverage. Doug later worked as a consultant at Ernst & Young, leading global manufacturing processes and plant startups across a broad spectrum of industries: from pharmaceuticals and consumer goods to heavy industrials. Doug holds a Juris Doctor from Chase College of Law and an M.B.A. from Williams College of Business.
Download Images
Juan Lopez, Chief Financial Officer
Juan Lopez was appointed Chief Financial Officer of MycoWorks in 2022. He is a Finance and Sales Operations executive with experience in both industrial and consumer goods sectors, delivering outstanding value through process improvement and optimization, digital transformation and scale up of ventures.
Prior to joining MycoWorks, he was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Biotech Business Unit at Anheuser-Busch Inbev, focused on developing and commercializing alternative proteins and food ingredients through biotechnology.
Juan was born and raised in Spain, holds a Masters’ Degree in Telecommunications Engineering, and has lived and worked in eight countries across Europe, Asia and the US during his 17-year career with General Electric and AB InBev. He also serves as Treasurer and Board Member in the Board of Directors of One Warm Coat, a national charity that provides free coats to those in need in the US.
Download ImagesBranding
Logos
MycoWorks’ logos should be only used with brands’ approval. Never stretch, rotate or alter the logo.
Minimum Clear Space
Clear space ensures legibility and visual impact by isolating the glyph from competing visual elements. Logo files are provided within a square art board that is the guide for the minimum clear space around the logo.
Minimum Sizes
A minimum size ensures that the impact and legibility of the logo is not compromised in application. The logo file should never appear smaller than 40 pixels wide.
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQs
How does the material and quality wear over time? Can it truly compete with leather, and what tests have you done to prove this?
What is the environmental impact of your material? Is it biodegradable? Have you conducted an LCA?
What kind of chemicals are used, and what is the tanning process?
Who are your current brand partners?
What are all of the ingredients that go into your material?
How is MycoWorks’ material different from competitors?
What is the price point of the material?
How does the material and quality wear over time? Can it truly compete with leather, and what tests have you done to prove this?
We’re growing our material for longevity: with proper care, the life cycle of Reishi™ is similar to that of traditional animal leather. Likewise, each sheet of Reishi™ has a beautiful patina that develops with wear and time.
Reishi™ is not part of the class of materials battling to replace leather or pleather. Instead, Reishi™ is a new class of material with unique qualities and aesthetics. Reishi™ has the hand-feel of the finest cowhides and offers top quality and performance with lower environmental impact.
What is the environmental impact of your material? Is it biodegradable? Have you conducted an LCA?
Reishi™, our flagship material made with Fine Mycelium™ technology, is the first low carbon and biodegradable option that evokes the same experience as leather. Our first peer-reviewed LCA, released in 2022, reports that Reishi’s™ carbon footprint is as low as 2.76 kg CO2-eq per m2. This number validates Reishi™ as a sustainable material with the promise of true impact, thanks to its unique combination of natural quality, low carbon footprint and biodegradability as a near-zero-plastic material.
A unique, exciting benefit of Fine Mycelium™ technology is its capacity for customization. Depending on customer specifications, Reishi™ can be grown with optional textiles for customized performance; it can also be produced with no fabric—just mycelium. Optional fabric choice plays a major role in the total carbon footprint of ReishiTM. For example, on its own, virgin cotton has a carbon footprint of 11.29 kgCO2 eq./kg, compared to 5.59 for virgin polyester and 1.11 for recycled polyester.
Read Reishi™’s full peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment published by Environmental Science Europe.
What kind of chemicals are used, and what is the tanning process?
For Reishi™’s tanning process, we use chrome-free finishing chemicals. Our tannery partners have been working with the leading fashion houses for decades and are committed to eliminating the discharge of hazardous chemicals, conserving energy, and reducing water consumption without compromising on the highest quality standards.
Who are your current brand partners?
We’re working with a range of leading fashion houses, most of which are confidential partnerships. In 2021, we announced a collaboration with Hermés to create the Sylvania bag. In 2022, we announced a collaboration with General Motors’ GM Ventures, which will support our efforts to develop Fine Mycelium™ materials for the automotive industry. Later that year, we partnered with the high-end furniture company Ligne Roset to bring MycoWorks’ flagship Fine Mycelium™ material, Reishi™, into luxury furnishings.
Learn more about MycoWorks collaboration with Hermés.
Learn more about MycoWorks collaboration with General Motors.
What are all of the ingredients that go into your material?
Reishi™ is a mycelium-based material. Its main ingredients are mycelium inoculum and waste sawdust. Additionally, Reishi™ offers brand partners the possibility to add an optional textile for customized performance; cotton, silk, linen, and recycled materials, among many others.
How is MycoWorks’ material different from competitors?
Fine Mycelium™, MycoWorks patented technology, enables a new category of materials. Mycelium is nature’s “3D printer” and Fine Mycelium™, our technology, is how we’re unlocking that potential to enable made to order, made to spec materials that are entirely customizable.
Reishi™, MycoWorks’ pioneering product, is the only natural material that offers the hand-feel and quality of the finest animal leathers. A unique softness, breathability, and characteristic patina make Reishi™ quite distinct from competitors. Also, Reishi™ doesn’t rely on plastic for structure, which is another critical differentiator from vegan leathers that usually produce their materials by embedding natural fibers into plastic. The Fine Mycelium™ process engineers mycelium as it grows to form proprietary, interlocking cellular structures for unparalleled strength and durability; this allows for sheets of Reishi™ to be customized for thickness, weight, shape and other features.
What is the price point of the material?
Reishi™ is a premium natural material. Its price point depends on each brand partner’s volumes and customized specifications. MycoWorks has selected go-to-market luxury partners that are best-in-class in their respective industries and are accustomed to buying only premium leathers.
Recent Brand News
Deadwood Studios: Deadwood Studios and Reishi™ made their runway debuts together at Copenhagen Fashion Week for SS24. Previously, the two brands collaborated on a Mycelium Capsule available on their website.
Heron Preston: Artist, creative director, and designer Heron Preston debuted an art piece inspired by and designed with MycoWorks’ innovative mycelium material, Reishi™: A Fruit Bowl by Heron Preston for MycoWorks.
Allen St.: MycoWorks partnered with Thibault Schockert–of premier fabricators Cuir du Vaudreuil and accessories brand Allen St.– to create functional timeless pieces Made with Reishi™.
T10 Bespoke: MycoWorks partnered with T10 Bespoke, the miniature hearable computer jeweler, to create an accessories line Made with Reishi™.
Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough: For her nomination to The Conscious Fashion Campaign, co-founder Sophia Wang partnered with artist Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough to create a pair of custom one-of-a-kind brooches Made with Reishi™.
Reishi Performance Data: MycoWorks unveiled new performance breakthroughs with Reishi™, their revolutionary material made with Fine Mycelium™. Life Cycle Assessment: MycoWorks’ shared the results of our first peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) published in Environmental Sciences Europe.
