Martina Kocianova brings Mushroom-Mania to Sarabande’s House of Bandits

Martina’s expansive knowledge of fungi began at just 4 years old whilst foraging for edible mushrooms in the forest with her mother. With nostalgia for this time and leaning on a visual culture of fairies, grottos and toadstools, her jewellery pieces are full of child-like wonder, reminiscent of the magic associated with playing in nature.

All signs say mushroom-mania is well and truly here!

The cultural relevance which Martina’s practice taps into is profound; from fashion iterations of ‘cottage-core’, the rising popularity of Merlin Sheldrake’s ‘Entangled Life’, which examines how fungi connect the fabric of our ecosystem, to Hermès releasing a line of bags made entirely from vegan mushroom leather. All signs say that 'mushroom-mania' is well and truly here.

Martina’s jewellery for sale in House of Bandits includes ‘Fairy Pearls’, a necklace made from foraged lichen branches, pearls, silver and silk. The organic materiality of this piece holds special significance to Martina, who explains how lichens are unusually a cross between moss and algae; working as a keystone species to sustain the surrounding forest as food or nest building material. With star shaped pearls and muted shades of green and beige interlaced with electric blue, this piece holds special symbolism, becoming a unique and ethereal statement piece for anyone’s jewellery collection.

'Mushrooms are aliens...'

Martina’s whimsical hand-engraved ‘Perfume Bottle Pendant’ is made from recycled silver, inlaid with 9 carat gold with pearl beads. It is fully functional as a perfume container with a sealable lid, evoking a scene from a fairytale with two fly agaric mushrooms, clouds and a smiling face sun. With ‘magic’ scripted underneath, the piece charmingly resembles a lucky amulet or potion bottle.

Martina’s current practice includes mushroom charms formed from semi-precious stones which carry their own spiritual significance, with each piece made intuitively to reflect a mushroom species. Martina says that ‘mushrooms are aliens!’, speaking to a theoretical explanation that fungi’s apparent consciousness might show their intergalactic intelligence. A growing awareness for this category beyond flora or fauna makes mycology fascinating to all nature-lovers.

Stay tuned for more unique pieces, available through House of Bandits that you could never find in a high-street jewellery shop!