Mushrooms Lead The Way As The Leather Alternative For Luxury Fashion

As environmental consciousness has spread, fashion brands - particularly luxury labels - have been among the first to adopt eco-friendly alternatives.

Initially, vegan leathers and synthetic fur appeared to be the answer to the industry's reliance on animal-derived materials. However, upon closer inspection, many vegan leathers and faux furs have been shown to be made from plastics that take years to biodegrade.

So, what is the sustainable alternative to animal leather?

Mushrooms….

Or more specifically, Mylo.

A leather-like material created by bioengineering business Bolt Threads, Mylo, is an alternative that is currently trending among fashion houses such as Stella McCartney, LuluLemon, and Kering.

Mylo, is made from mycelium, the root structure of fungal filaments that grow naturally beneath the forest floor. Mycelia not only grow by decomposing organic matter around them, but they also return nutrients to the surrounding plants and trees, maintaining the balance of our ecological systems.

Fashion designer and pioneer Stella McCartney, collaborated with Bolt Threads to debut the Mylo Falabella Prototype 1 bag back in 2018, making her one of the first luxury designers to use the biomaterial in the creation of wearable clothing and accessories.

How is mycelium is turned into leather?

Mycelia cells are grown on beds of sawdust and other organic material to begin the process. Billions of cells then grow to create an interconnected 3D network, which is then processed, tanned and dyed to create Mylo. This process only takes a few days.

Bolt Thread claims to use fewer natural resources and produce fewer greenhouse gases in its production than both animal and plastic-based synthetic leather.

So, which other brands are beginning to adopt this eco-friendly alternative to leather?

Lululemon, Adidas and Kering have also joined Stella McCartney on the list - and come together to form the “Mylo Consortium”

Hermès also became part of the mushroom leather movement in March, via their collaboration with MycoWorks. The brand's first mycelium product will be the Victoria bag, which will be available towards the end of 2021.

Will Bolt Threads make Mylo available to smaller brands?

The rapid growth of Mylo amongst major fashion houses raises the question of how accessible Mylo is. The good news is that Mylo prioritises accessibility and Dan Widmaier, the founder of Bolt Threads, hopes to collaborate with smaller brands and designers soon.

The Mylo Consortium is the company’s first major leap towards their accessibility goal.
At the moment, Bolt requires large brands to help subsidise the costs associated with developing a novel process and establishing a supply chain to manufacture Mylo on a commercial scale.
The consortium partners are collectively  investing in the company’s development research. However Bolt Threads will begin making smaller batches available to crafters and artisans through collaborations imminently.