Isabela Cotecchia
Mycelium Material
  1. Skin
  2. Lookbook
  3. Composites
  4. Textiles
  5. Pele Amazonica
  6. Research

Biomaterial
  1. Elastic
  2. Grounded colors

Mind/Matter
  1. Modular design
  2. Craft

Nonphysical
  1. Graphics


About

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 materials      design      mycology     ecology      economy     clothing      sustainable    creation      growth
About 
I've always been curious about our relationship with materials and how they define how we live. As a researcher, designer, and economist, I aim to find ways to 'make' sustainably. This means sustaining our material production (things, food, medicine) for people, forever, without harming the earth that sustains life itself. 

The world of fungi has given me hope that we can work together with nature. Growing our resources instead of extracting, while still fulfilling our material needs.



Rio, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, Marseille.                                   Brazilian & French


Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I've always been deeply connected to the nature surrounding me. My practice began with the arts and fashion.

I pursued a BSc in Economics and Management for Arts, Culture, and Communication at Bocconi University in Milan. There, I realized the true environmental cost of production and creation, which could not be shifted through economic decisions without innovation in the field of material design. This realization and a desire to work creatively led me to a Master’s in Material Design (Design through New Materials) at Elisava University of Design and Engineering of Barcelona. There, I started my research and project: Mycelium Material. My goal is to understand the possibilities of mycelium as a material and to explore its potential in bioremediation. 

Currently, I’m working remotely with Fabulous Fungi to promote mushroom dyes and pigments. My day-to-day involves more hands-on work at Mycotopia, an urban mushroom farm in Marseille, France. Here, I am developing my practice as a designer and researcher. My work has focused on mycelium materials, chitin's potential as a biopolymer, mycoremediation, post-consumer textile waste recycling, and cultivating diverse mushroom species for food and medicine.