MycoWorks is the Industrial Laureate of the FORMÆ 2025 Award.


Founded in 2013 by artists Philip Ross and Sophia Wang, MycoWorks embodies a new generation of sustainable design players. Combining art and science, the Californian company develops biomaterials grown from mycelium, the underground part of fungi with fascinating properties. The result of thirty years of research, their exclusive Fine Mycelium™ technology structures the material at a cellular level to produce Reishi™, an exceptional material that combines organic beauty, sustainability and technical performance.

REISHI™: A MATERIAL OF THE FUTURE, AVAILABLE TODAY

Neither leather nor plastic, Reishi™ breaks new ground in the world of high-end flexible materials. Cultivated and shaped like a living fabric, this biomaterial stands out for its unique texture, remarkable strength and radically natural dimension. It is not intended to imitate leather, but to offer a fully-fledged alternative, imbued with the visual richness of mycelium — random veining, subtle reflections, tactile nuances — evoking wood, stone or skin in turn. Low carbon footprint, without animal resources or petrochemical inputs, Reishi™ is also the first material of its kind to achieve industrial production. Already adopted by Hermès, Ligne Roset and General Motors, it is now opening up to interior design and furniture, with customisable finishes and adaptability in thickness, flexibility and colour.

ORGANIC DESIGN, SCANDINAVIAN MINIMALISM

At the rendez-vous de la matière by FORMÆ, MycoWorks presents Centurio, a table lamp designed by OEO Studio, a Danish studio renowned for its minimalist sensibility. Designed as a celebration of Nordic light, this piece is crafted from Reishi™ sheets that are soaked and then moulded onto wood using a traditional Danish technique. The result is a sculpted, expressive material that captures light in a delicate tension between form and function. ’Reishi™ has allowed us to explore new avenues of creation without compromising on elegance or ethics’, says OEO Studio. Their philosophy of ’compelling minimalism’ finds new resonance here: creating objects that transcend their function to become sensory, sustainable experiences rooted in a culture of responsible design.


MycoWorks isn’t just inventing a material: it’s offering designers a living, evolving canvas, open to all interpretations. An invitation to rethink our relationship with materials, between soft technology and organic expression. •


photos : Centurio, floor and table lamps, OEO
Studio © Armin Tehrani for MycoWorks • Reishi sculpture © Pol Rebaque, MycoWorks • Reishi © Pol Rebaque, MycoWorks • OEO stamp © Armin Tehrani for MycoWorks