Researchers have developed a textile from the parasitic fungus Cordyceps militaris that can repair itself when damaged and decompose in soil within weeks. The material was formed into a dress as a demonstration piece.
Ke Li at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and her team grew the fungus into pellets in liquid culture before moulding them into flexible sheets. They treated the sheets with glycerol to prevent brittleness and added engineered yeast for colour or other fungi to enable self-cleaning or ultraviolet protection.
Damage can be fixed by applying fresh wet pellets, which grow over the affected area. The textile remains dormant when dry but activates under humid conditions with nutrients.
The finished dress has not been worn. Researchers described it as a small display piece and suggested testing it with volunteers in future.
Justin Beardsley at the University of Sydney noted the material's biodegradability offers an advantage over fast-fashion waste, though he cautioned that excessive biodegradability could cause it to break down during use.