Rival Fashion Groups Team up to Make Garments from Mushroom Leather

The future of fashion is mushrooms. With various uses, mushrooms continue to spread to the health and wellness industry and of course, to food. Not only that, but mushrooms have poured into the high fashion industry. Luxury fashion labels such as Stella McCartney, Rahul Mishra, Iris Van Herpen, and Hermès, to name a few, are using the humble and earthy mushroom as inspiration and material for their collections. Fungal Leather Created by San-Francisco-based biotech company MycoWorks, found an unusual source to invent a product that performs like real leather - fungus. The material is made from a mix of wood fibers and mycelium, the part of the mushroom that grows beneath the soil. MycoWork’s fungal leather is grown through a circular process via a low energy conversion rate with minimal water use. The material is biodegradable and can be grown in nearly any size or texture. Known as Mycelium, MycoWork’s fungal leather grows into the required shape in just two weeks, making it a fraction of the cost, time, and environmental impact as conventional leather. The fungal material is treated with mild acids, alcohols, and dyes before it’s dried and embossed. The final product feels and looks like real leather and is used for purses, bags, and shoes. Major Brands are Joining Forces in the Name of Eco-Conscious Fashion In October of 2020, Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon, and Gucci’s parent company Kering joined forces to invest in a new material called Mylo, grown using MycoWork’s Mycelium. As part of a business consortium, the plan was put into motion to create a supply chain for vegan leather in the hopes of getting it manufactured at a commercially viable scale. In return for the investment, the four brands will have exclusive rights to Mylo’s Mycelium-based alternative, with the first products expected to hit the shelves this year. Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and, Kering announced that they were partnering with 'Bolt Threads' to invest in its development and production operations in exchange for access to millions of square meters of this novel and environmentally clean material. Mylo can be used as an animal or synthetic leather and can take on any color, embossing, or texture. It is supple, soft, and really does bear a strong resemblance to animal hide, but with a much lower environmental impact. The fact is that the production of clothing and footwear, which until now has always been based on leather, generates animal suffering, consumes a lot of water, and pollutes the environment with chemicals and CO2, as well as posing waste problems. The modern idea of leather made from mushrooms started in 2012 in Indonesia, where Adi Reza Nugroho, a member of a family of mushroom farmers, set up a company called Mycotech. He intended to use his mushrooms to make a vegan alternative to animal leather. As he said early on, "the material breathes, is robust, and grows using agricultural waste that is mixed with mushroom spores to form mycelium, a finely branched mass of thread-like structures. Avoiding Unnecessary Pollution and Waste With 7 billion people in the world and an increasing number of middle-class consumers buying into the 'throwaway' philosophy, the need for sustainable fashion has become imperative. Most synthetic leathers are made from plastic-based materials, which present a similar waste generation problem to other substances made from petroleum. Mylo is a bio-based synthetic material that can be grown in a small space without the environmental impact of large numbers of livestock, and can also be colored with tea, which has long been used as a natural dyeing agent due to its strong tannin content. Stella McCartney herself said in the early days of this project that "once you embrace technology and innovation, and combine it with luxury fashion, design and creativity, there is no end to the magical madness you can create". And so we come to the present moment, with fashion rivals teaming up to develop the new mushroom leather, and products promising to hit shops next year. Benefits of the Product The first thing that was set in motion was the cultivation of mycelium. Then, in less than two weeks, on a bed of sawdust and other organic material and with controlled levels of temperature and humidity, the resulting thick sheets of woven mycelium are processed, tanned, dyed, and turned into a finished leather-like material. Mycelium production uses half the volume of water required for cotton production and no animal products. "When you touch synthetic leather, it feels like cold plastic. When you touch 'Mylo', you feel its genuinely natural suppleness and warmth". And it is true that 'Mylo' does not feel like cold plastic, as is the case with synthetic leather, Moreover, Mylo can be grown in eight to 10 days, compared to cattle breeding, which can take three to five years. Almost more importantly, on its own, under the right conditions, the mycelium has the potential to biodegrade and is much more carbon-neutral than real leather. Because of this speed, as well as being able to compete on price, it can respond to market demand. And it feels very similar to real leather, with comparable properties and durability.