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Dasha Tsapenko
Rainproof Mycelium Couture
This kimono, grown from mycelium, is both an artwork and a first case study in crafting water-resistant garments from fungi. It demonstrates that grown mycelium textiles can be both water-resistant and fully bio-based. Commonly fragile to moisture, mycelium here merges with woven hemp yarn and is cured with a bio-based binding agent developed and adjusted together with Peter Oei and his team at Spore.nl, achieving a resilient surface without losing its natural tactility.
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The kimono is also a study in a new aesthetic language for bio-couture, celebrating the beauty of a living organism as it is — through its naturally grown patterns, colors, and textures. On a sensorial level, it invites the observer into the atmosphere of an autumn forest, evoking wet bark, fungal skins, and decaying wood.
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The Rainproof Mycelium Kimono is not only made with nature, but also adapts to it and endures it — a first step toward developing a future collection of one-of-a-kind wearable fungal raincoats.
Atelier Dasha Tsapenko
Atelier Dasha Tsapenko is a bio-design studio based in The Hague, NL. It focuses on developing bio-materials and innovative production techniques that result in grown textiles, garments, and collectible pieces at the intersection of art, science and design.
In close collaboration with fungi, the studio merges living matter and site-specific organic (waste) materials, translating it into material research and conceptual pieces — from living textile surfaces, natural dyes, coatings and binders to entire grown fungal universes. Each creation tells a story and serves as a proof of concept for an interconnected world, where all elements exist in symbiosis.
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Atelier Dasha Tsapenko draws deep inspiration from regenerative agriculture, working hand in hand with scientists, farmers, artists, and local craftsmen.
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