Here are two words I never thought I would say together: Mushroom. Leather. Stella McCartney has pushed the boundaries of creativity (at least, the boundaries of my own imagination) and somehow married these two words to launch the “world’s first-ever” leather-like garments made from mushrooms.
Mylo, the Mushroom “Unleather”
Bolt Threads™ is the one behind this innovative product. They’re a biotech and “material solution” company known for creating sustainable material like Microsilk™, a soft yet strong silk fiber made without using spiders, and B-Silk™ protein that supports hair and skin health.
Their newest product, Mylo™, is their latest creation and the mushroom leather that we’re going to talk about today. Bolt Threads prefers to call Mylo “unleather™” over leather, though, because this better encapsulates the radical act of choosing products made sustainably with infinitely renewable materials over animal and synthetic-based materials. (I also have a small sneaking suspicion that they just love any excuse to add the small yet mighty ™ symbol — rightfully so.)
Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus (AKA a mushroom’s root structure), and is what’s used to create Mylo. This is actually quite poetic since mycelium is composed of such strong thread-like fibers that Bold Threads says, “They hold the planet together.” Much like how sustainable companies like Bolt Threads or Adriano Di Marti (the creators of cactus leather) are aiming to do with their eco-friendly products.
Mylo and Stella McCartney’s Sustainability Commitment
CEO and Founder of Bolt Threads, Dan Widmaier, said, “Creating new, high-quality biomaterials is a major technological challenge and a massive opportunity for people and the planet.” Stella McCartney played a big role in Mylo’s development and helped turn the idea into reality. They attribute the success of creating the “high-quality leather alternative it is today” to their combined and diverse expertise in the fashion world and forward-thinking innovations.
On Bold Thread’s website, break down their process into four seemingly-uber-simple steps. They say creating their mushroom unleather begins with the mycelium cells. Once collected, they can grow the cells on beds of “renewable, organic matter” resulting in billions of these mycelium cells. They grow and form a 3D network, which is very similar to what they do in the wild, and it ends up looking like a big foam layer. The last step is to process that network, tan it, and then dye it to make Mylo.
Since Mylo is still under R&D, there isn’t much hard data on how this product stands up to synthetic and animal products in terms of sustainability. But Bolt Thread’s preliminary research on their environmental impact shows that Mylo consumes “significantly less land and emits fewer greenhouse gases than raising livestock” since it only takes a few weeks to grow. Not to mention, it’s a plant versus a 1,200-pound cow — so you can imagine how many fewer resources, like water, mycelium uses.
It’s also biodegradable, uses tanning techniques that have the lowest impact on the environment and human health, plastic-free, among other benefits that you can read about here.
This also isn’t Stella McCartney’s first venture into sustainable fashion. The fashion giant committed to using 100% organic cotton that’s free from toxic chemicals and pesticides. Following through with this pledge, they released a genderless collection that featured featherless, cruelty-free, and environmentally-conscious puffer jackets last year.
Where to buy Bolt Threads x Stella McCartney Mushroom Leather
For now, there are only two items that have been publicized: A black bustier and balloon-leg utility trousers. Unfortunately, these aren’t available to the public yet, but Bold Threads says more products are coming, not just in collaboration with Stella McCartney, but also other huge brand names like Lululemon and Adidas. Oh, and Kering, the bougie fashion empire that is Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga.
Products to look out for in 2021 that uses Mylo
Here are some of Bold Threads upcoming collaborations to look out for this year:
- Stan Smith Mylo™in collaboration with Adidas
- Mylo™ bustier and trousers in collaboration with Stella McCartney
- Mylo™ Falabella bag in collaboration with Stella McCartney
- Mylo™ Driver bag in collaboration with Chester Wallace
I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited to see how Bolt Threads infiltrates both the luxury fashion space and also the fast-fashion scene. This resources-constrained world needs more companies like Bolt Threads, who are truly leading this new movement of sustainable fashion and forward-thinking products.
What do you think about this innovative mushroom “unleather”? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below!
