MycoWorks LIFE

“Sustainability means to me being authentic to our hearts and who we are.” Mehera Blum is the founder and creative director of Blumera, a company that designs exquisite, uplifting collections created with intention using natural sustainable materials and loved by celebrities like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. We recently collaborated with Mehera to create the Poppies Octagon Wood Clutch made with Reishi™: a unique, hand-carved addition to Blumera's popular line of wood clutches that features a perfectly fitted hexagonal Reishi™ bag. In this episode, Mehera sits down with Xevi to speak about this collaborative project, her journey to reimagine the paintings of her late mother, world-renowned painter Laurie Blum, the Blumera bag Beyoncé chose to wear for her 40th birthday, and the search for a new material that led her to her collaboration with MycoWorks.In this episode:2:02 - The search for a new material that led her to MycoWorks3:15 - The search for the best carver in Bali6:50 -  Living in a creation of love: launching Sanctuary Blumera. Creating with an intention of love.8:09 - Her next endeavor: filming the journey of creation and her inner story of love and spirituality9:15 - The journey that led to Beyoncé wearing Mehera's large Anhinga brass bag and then the stylist that she wore it for her 40th birthday.12:15 - The object Mehera and MycoWorks created together, Poppies Octagon Wood Clutch made with Reishi™15:00 - Origin of her mother's paintings in a devotional practice rooted in Persian mysticism17:20 - What sustainability means to MeheraMycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand & Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you! To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

This fall, MycoWorks is celebrating its ten-year anniversary, and to mark the occasion, we invited Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture, back to the studio for a recap and a look forward.In this episode:1:10 – Collaborating with Phil Ross and learning about everything mycelium can do3:00 – What Sophia today would tell herself over 15 years ago4:00 – Attending IndieBio as a young entrepreneur7:25 – Writing a first set of company values as a young team15:45 – Leadership and mentorship from MycoWorks COO, Doug Hardesty18:00 – What does “more Sophia” mean?23:45 – Her first consumer experience of unboxing Reishi™ products 28:45 – A new factory in South CarolinaMycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand & Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more.If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you! To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

“In the lab, we like to say that our mycelium is a bit capricious; it has its own temper,” says Maud Ohler, Vice President of Technology Development at MycoWorks and fermentation scientist. Maud's work with mycelium traces back to about 15 years ago when she first heard the word mycelium in a biology class focused on tree/root symbiosis and mycorrhizae, the symbiotic association between roots and fungus. She now finds herself working intimately with mycelium in the MycoWorks tech dev lab on a daily basis. Listen to this episode to hear about Maud's career in fermentation and biology, the challenges of scaling up our technology, Fine Mycelium™, and the vast opportunity behind mycelium as a material for the future.  In this episode:2:20 - Hearing mycelium for the first time in biology class4:00 - The versatility and unique properties of mycelium5:45 - What makes the Reishi strain unique9:20 - Universe in a tray15:40 - Challenges of scaling at the South Carolina plant18:00 - The mycelium industry in 10 years20:30 - Durability in relation to sustainabilityMycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand & Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. 

“Biology is the new frontier. It's still the great unknown,” shares Matt Scullin, materials scientist and MycoWorks CEO. In this episode, Matt dives into the enormous opportunity in the materials industry, how mycelium is a uniquely positioned organism to unlock this new frontier, and the challenges of scaling up our technology as we build the new plant in South Carolina. In this episode:2:00 - Why mycelium?9:10 - Biology and brand new tools - a combination of science and creativity17:40 - Fine tuning our product and technology 29:40 - Hermès as the north star-  "the partner that has helped us understand what quality means.” MycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand & Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please leave a review. We love to hear from you! To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

“I hate the word luxury. I think we should replace it with the search for excellence and quality,” shares Patrick Thomas, industry legend, previous CEO of Hermès, and MycoWorks' board member. In this episode, Patrick shares what true luxury is for him, how connected luxury is to sustainability, and his thoughts on the future of alternative materials and Reishi™ for the luxury industry. In this episode:1:30 Becoming the CEO of Hermès: “An encounter”5:00 The definition of true luxury8:10 Luxury and sustainability10:00 Alternative materials, Reishi™ and the future of the luxury world 19:20 Anecdote from the luxury world: The story of a 70 year-old Hermès saddle23:15 Sustainability: “Going back to common sense.” MycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand & Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you! To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

"It feels new; I've never felt something like this before. It's totally different," wondered Antoine Roset, CEO of Roset SAS, when he felt a sheet of Reishi™ for the first time. In this episode, Antoine shares the importance of design and durability for the high-end French furniture manufacturer Ligne Roset, his thoughts on new materials, what sustainability means to him, and why this fifth-generational company decided to work with Reishi™. In this episode:3:30 Ligne Roset's motivation to partner with MycoWorks 6:25 New materials and the furniture industry 7:05 Innovation, design, and sustainability12:00 Reishi™: A new category of material 14:30 "Luxury is excellence."20:00 Ligne Roset big come back to Salone del Mobile MycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand Marketing, hosts talks with people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

"You only have one chance to make a first impression, so it better be great," shares Elettra Wiedemann, fashion icon, food writer, and Executive Director of Mama Farm, about her learnings from a successful career in the fashion industry. In this episode, Elettra shares her long-life passion for environmentalism and food, why she changed Fashion Weeks to farms and her story with MycoWorks.  In this episode:• Elettra's story with MycoWorks and friendship with Matt• A plate of oatmeal: her path to understanding biomedicine, biotechnology, and bio society• From fashion to agriculture: “it's a very long, tangled road.” • The future of fashion: getting more connected to the source of what you're wearing.“Fashion is a lot like farming.”• “To me, sustainability means walking through the places I hike now with my kids and doing those same hikes with my grandchildren.” Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworksIf you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

"Are we threatened by fungi?" "Are guns the best way to kill mycelia?" "How will The Last of Us end?" These are just a few questions we asked two of our in-house mycologists at MycoWorks; Sachin Jain, principal scientist and mycologist, and Phil McGaughy, artist, research assistant and mycologist. In this episode, we discuss the HBO show, what's fiction and what's reality, the role of fungi in the mainstream, and how human perception of fungi has shifted over time. In this episode:1:30 - From Paul Stamets to a champiñon farm at home. 6:40 - Are fungi a threat to humanity? 8:00 - Can mycelium communicate? 10:50 - How would MycoWorks mycologist kill the fungi in The Last of Us? 17:00  - Why have fungi always been the bad guy?18:00 - Mycelium for the future: fungi as food, for medicine and health, materials, dyes, and much more. 19:50 - How will The Last of Us end? Will an environmental change stop the infection? Why is Ellie immune to it? Will this be the way? Will they overcome the infection with another fungus? Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworksIf you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

“The horizon is just limitless,” shares Wei-En Chang, MycoWorks Sr Director of Business Development, about the potential of our Fine Mycelium™ platform. In this episode, Wei-En shares his path from design to innovation, his deep passion for skateboarding, his previous career as an art director, shoe designer, and business owner, and how all that experience translates to the value he brings to MycoWorks today. In this episode:03:30 – Conscious consumerism is driving innovation05:00 – Full traceability: “We can trace our material all the way back to the spore” 07:30 – “From design to innovation” 15:00 – MycoWorks relationship with brands: interactive, creative, and collaborative partnerships  17:30 – Fine-tuning the Fine Mycelium™ platform for various applications in different industriesLearn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworksIf you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks. 

"I respect the skin through my work," shares Daniel Martin, NYC-based celebrity makeup artist, and beauty trendsetter, when asked about his approach to beauty. In this episode, Daniel shares his background as a makeup artist, his experience working with celebrities, how dirty the beauty industry can be, and what brought him and MycoWorks together to create The Brushroll. In this episode:5:00 From art history to makeup: Daniel's career as a makeup artist9:30 His approach to makeup is about enhancing natural beauty  11:00 How can we make a more sustainable beauty industry?14:00 Our story together: "We took the time to understand each other's views." 18:00 The Brushroll: a tool to reframe the concept of value20:00 Sustainability: "Getting to the root of things, transparency."Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworksIf you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you! To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.

“Is this textile alive?” wondered Daniella Pineda, actress, comedian, and writer, when she heard about Reishi™ for the first time. In this episode, Daniella shares her interest in sustainable materials, her career as an actress, and her childhood growing up in her hometown, Oakland, California. Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

“We're sold out!” shares Thibault  Schockert, CEO of CdV and founder of Allen St., after less than a week of launching the Allen St. x Made with Reishi™ collection. In this episode, Thibault shares his expertise in fabricating leather goods for the leading French luxury houses, his interest and experience with leather alternatives, and his excitement for Reishi™ as a new material with unique capabilities and exciting possibilities. Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

"San Francisco is a small town compared to Paris," says Bill Morris, Director of Product and "veteran" at MycoWorks. Leading MycoWorks' new office in Paris and  transforming brand partners' needs into engineering specifications for customized materials, materials science and textile engineering expert Bill Morris chats LIVE from Paris with Xevi Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing  in this special episode.In this episode:02:00 – Mycelium is like “a fabric of nature” 03:30 – MycoWorks four years ago: “a scary basement cave at the bottom of an apartment building in San Francisco"05:30 – Why are we opening an office in Paris?8:45 – Why luxury brands love our material 11:56 – “Mycelium is amazing. It's so smart. It kind of acts like a community of people.”18:15 – “Sustainability means durability. Building something that lasts generations and that doesn't have a negative impact”Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

In this story, we celebrate MycoWorks' co-founder Sophia Wang's recognition as a Conscious Fashion Campaign honoree and the custom  jewelry we commissioned from SF artist Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough: a pair of one-of-a-kind Made with Reishi™ brooches.Read the story at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram.

“My journey? It's an amazing arc,” says Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture. Named one of Conscious Fashion Campaign's 2022 honorees, in this episode Sophia revisits her journey with our host Xevi: from her beginnings as a dancer and performer, to literature instructor and PhD at UC Berkeley, to co-founding MycoWorks with Phil Ross in 2013, to Chief of Culture today. "It's an honor to be part of a growing community of people who are recalibrating what ‘green' practices look like, and how positive impact should be measured."In this episode:03:00 - The early years of MycoWorks: how to turn an art studio practice into a company.10:00 - The big reveal: unveiling the first cowhide-sized sheet of Reishi™ in 2017.11:30 - Chief of Culture: a title invented for Sophia; the increasing value that culture plays in growing a company.14:00 - How does it feel to be recognized with other female leaders in the Conscious Fashion Campaign?28:00 - Sustainability as creating and consuming in a way that replenishes yourself and the environment.Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

”We are a powerful choice, not a substitute for leather” -  Mike ToddIn this story from 2020, MycoWorks' Chief of Product Mike Todd shares his journey with the company and his insights as a former leather executive on the revolutionary advantages of Reishi™.  Listen in as Mike explores what we mean by “actionable traceability” and why our brand partners are choosing Reishi™ as the new premium material for boundless creation.Read the story at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram.

In this story, we hear from James Im,  our Social Media Director, on how MycoWorks broke ground last month in Union, South Carolina, a pivotal moment for the company that marks the beginning of the first full-scale Fine Mycelium™ production facility.Read the story at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram.

“The road to Mars leads through a fungus,” shares MycoWorks co-founder and CTO, Phil Ross. In this episode, Xevi Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing and host, takes us on an inspiring conversation with artist, chef, entrepreneur and mycelium pioneer, Phil Ross. Phil shares his initial exploration with mycelium, the similarities between cooking and growing mushrooms, how his background as an artist shaped the way in which he learned and experienced mycelium, and how MycoWorks is becoming an art piece of its own. In this episode:04:00 - Phil's background as a professional chef and the similarities between cooking and mycelium growing14:00 - Growing a mushroom tea house: the moment people grasped the utility of mycelium as a material20:00 - MycoWorks: a living organism that's growing in unexpected directions26:00 - The challenge and difficulty of bringing a new material into the world36:22 - Mycelium in outer spaceLearn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

We debuted this story in January 2022 to celebrate a significant milestone: the first fully scalable Fine Mycelium™ production facility was finally working at full speed. For this story, we interviewed Doug Hardesty, MycoWorks Chief Operating Officer, to learn about the impact of this milestone, his pivotal role in scaling up the Fine Mycelium™ technology, his expertise in manufacturing and his unique leadership style that has inspired everyone at MycoWorks. Read the story here.Learn more at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram

Fungi: the mysterious kingdom with unlimited potential to change the world. In this episode, Xevi Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing and our host, talks with Rachel Linzer, Principal Scientist of Mycology and Genomics at MycoWorks, about mycelium, how we're entering a new era powered by fungi and Rachel's career in science. If you're interested in mycology and the role that fungi could have in the future of humanity and life in space, this episode is for you.In this episode:00:00 - Introducing MycoWorks Talks01:25 - When Rachel first heard the word mycelium11:10 - “Cooking dinner for hyphae”17:20 - Why science is more than just learning facts about the world18:30 - Seeking mentors and becoming a mentor as a woman in science26:35 - The role that fungi could have in future space explorationLearn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.comGet closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.comFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksIncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

In this story, we give a recap of Freedom of Creation, our three-day interactive exhibit in NYC that offered the chance to get hands-on with Reishi™ and learn how MycoWorks is unleashing the power of Fine Mycelium™ to Grow the Future of Materials.Read the story here.Learn more at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram.

An underground music scene, a crowded basement art studio/lab in San Francisco growing mycelium, and a couple of artists finding their way into biotech. For this pilot episode, our host Xavier Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing, takes us on a journey to the origins of MycoWorks, with guests Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture, and Matt Scullin, CEO of MycoWorks. It's a conversation that explores MycoWorks' deep connections to art, music, San Francisco community, what Sophia calls “weirdo research into science”—and how to build a company diverse enough to bring something new and very different into the world.In this episode:00:00 - Introducing MycoWorks Talks01:30 - First meeting at a rap show with Dr. Octagon08:15 - Matt's first visit to the basement studio of co-founder Phil Ross13:15 - Beauty & creativity as a founding vision17:54 - Company growth during COVID & beyond19:36 - Sophia's culture & hiring philosophy23:33 - Diversity & humility are keys to success29:38 - Trust your curiosityJoin us on our journey to Grow the Future of Materials: https://www.mycoworks.com/careers  Learn more about MycoWorks: https://www.mycoworks.com Get closer to Reishi™: https://www.madewithreishi.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworksTwitter: https://twitter.com/MycoWorksInc  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycoworks

INTRODUCING MycoWorks Stories: a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Here, we will be sharing audio stories about our product and technology, our incredible team and brand partners, and much more. For this story, we interviewed Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture, to learn about the company's artistic origins, Sophia's unique background and inspiring vision for the material, and the power of storytelling to introduce something completely new to the world.  Read the story at www.madewithreishi.com/stories/founding-vision-impactWe're thrilled to share with you our journey to Grow the Future of Materials. Learn more at www.mycoworks.com and follow our journey at @mycoworks on Instagram (www.instagram.com/mycoworks)