Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and Gucci's parent company Kering have teamed up to invest in a novel material called Mylo, which is grown from mycelium but rivals the look and feel of animal leather.
As part of a newly established business consortium, the brands have each agreed to spend seven-figure sums to help level up the production capabilities of Mylo's inventor, US biotechnology company Bolt Threads.
The plan is to create a supply chain for the vegan leather, which would allow it to be manufactured at a commercially viable scale.
Mylo is a leather alternative made by biotechnology company Bolt Threads
"What we are trying to do with Mylo is scaling it beyond where biomaterials have been ? relegated to one-offs or museum pieces ? and instead making it a material that millions and tens of millions of people can wear every day," Bolt Threads vice president of product development Jamie Bainbridge told Dezeen. According to Bainbridge, the consortium represents the largest joint development agreement to-date that is aimed at introducing a biomaterial to the mass market.
The material is made from mycelium, the root structure mushrooms and other fungi
After a number of brands and even entire fashion weeks have gone fur-free in recent years, vegan leather could be the next step. As an animal byproduct, it doesn't just emit greenhouse gases and consume finite natural resources through the rearing of livestock, it also causes environmental pollution through the ta...