In 2024 the Centre for Medical Mycology launched an exciting new collaboration with textile students from Exeter College. The students were paired with researchers from CMM to get to know more about their research and were then tasked with designing a garment that reflected these specific medical mycology projects. The researchers were then invited to the textile studios to be part of the works in progress and to gain an understanding behind the design process and the different media that were being used.
At the end of the academic year the textile students launched their creations at a catwalk-style fashion show at the college. The CMM team had front-row seats to this event, and everyone commented on how the garments were inventive and eye-catching. The students had completed extensive independent research to inform their designs and some of the work was incredibly delicate and subtle. One gown featured embroidered fungal hyphae running down the arm and another was shaped and coloured like the cap of a mushroom.
The students all commented on how interesting they found the topic and that they hadn’t realised how captivating, but deadly fungal infections could be.