Mushroom Suitcase by Coco-Mat

Project Description

Coco-Mat on a quest for new and innovative products that could come out in production picked a team of designers to create the first wooden suitcase. This challenge and this project gave me an idea for a suitcase that could be made of “mushrooms” taking the design a step further. For the design and the development of the mushroom suitcase crucial was the knowledge that a material found in mushrooms known as mycelium can through a process which takes about 15 days to provide us with a sturdy material with little flexibility that could be the external cover for the suitcase.

The interior is made of wood. The mycelium blended with wood residues and lavender seeds protects the wooden suitcase from breaking. A new innovative lock has been also introduced to this suitcase. There is a wooden frame that holds the two parts of the suitcase together when locked. On the frame, there are four handles that lock and unlock the case. They don’t need codes of any kind as to work mechanically. They are not visible when the case is closed. In the picture above we can see how they work. They are easy to use by the owner of the case but can be puzzling for the stranger.