and is considered the neurological network of the forest because it behaves similar to the neurons of the human brain,” she explains, “it lives, adapts and communicates with its environment.” Like a web of signals, mycelium impacts the world around it, inspiring the question: as humans, how do we interact and engage with the planet and its other inhabitants? “I started to pay attention. Mycelium restores, recycles and rebalances its entire ecosystem. This got me in a long, drawn out wormhole of what role we play as a human species. Thinking of the non-renewable materials we have produced for ‘convenience’, and the natural resources we have depleted, formed my obsession to find a better way,” Van Horn shares. While she always had a flare for art forms in the past, including painting and ceramics, this is
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the first time that Van Horn has profited from her creative work. Her embroidered vintage tops began to resonate with the Instagram community, resulting in requests for custommade designs. “It was something that happened kind of unintentionally,” she says. When asked about her use of equipment and how she sources materials, Van Horn laughs, “The equipment is my hand, a needle and thread!” Using 1970s vintage tops that are 100% cotton, she currently sources thread from brands that claim to be eco-friendly, but is still researching more sustainable options that meet her “higher standard”. So how does second-hand clothing relate to climate change and why do bees and tigers make a difference in the grand scheme of things? According to a fast-fashion analysis article in MSNBC by Michael Shank and Maxine Bédat, the apparel industry’s production methods make