Emma van der Leest, Aneta Schaap-Oziemlak, Paul Verweij & Sybren De Hoog

Fungkee | Fungal Supercoatings

In collaboration with Radboudumc & CWZ-Canisius-Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis Nijmegen

To put an end to killing animals for their skin, Emma van der Leest & Aneta Schaap-Oziemlak want to enhance the practical use of cellulose-based bio-leather by making it waterproof with a spray derived from fungi that would damage our health in their every-day form.

Fungi can be used to add a wide spectrum of properties to biomaterials, including water repellency, colour and fragrance, which improve the quality of products made by microbes. Our cellulose based bioleather is produced by bacteria and could replace animal leather in the fashion industry. Currently the bioleather is not water repellent and the colour is unstable which ultimately leads to premature degradation.

Therefore, in this collaborative project with Radboudumc, Emma and Aneta are developing a waterrepellent fungal coating to improve the functional design of bioleather. To avoid the use of synthetics and to obtain a 100% natural coating, they focus on exploring beneficial attributes of a fungus isolated from a human patiënt. Although harmful for this patient, the fungus is better known as an edible mushroom.

Fungkee Supercoating represents an example of a chemical-free coating that will draw attention in the fashion industry. It shows that even potentially dangerous fungi may have useful properties, such as to make bioleather more durable and more aesthetic.

The development of this coating will facilitate the transition from synthetic to eco-friendly biomaterials. Reducing the carbon footprint of the (fashion)industry will make our blue planet a better place.

With kind support of Yaya Kombucha