Mushroom leather brought in some pretty decent profits.The fungus-based fabric has officially launched with big names like Adidas, Lululemon, Stella McCarthy and Tommy Hilfiger on handbags, sneakers, yoga mats, and even pants made from mushroom leather.
According to the latest data from Grand View Research, the vegan fashion market was worth $396.3 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 14%.
The latest to adopt mushroom leather is Mercedes-Benz.Its VISION EQXX is a stylish new luxury electric car prototype with mushroom leather interior.
Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz’s chief design officer, described the automaker’s use of vegan leather as an “invigorating experience” that sheds animal products while offering a luxurious look.
“They point the way forward for resource-efficient luxury design,” Wagner said.Its quality has also earned high marks from industry leaders.
The way the mushroom skins are made is indeed environmentally friendly in itself.It is made from the root of a mushroom called mycelium.Not only does the mycelium mature in just a few weeks, but it also consumes very little energy as it does not require any sunlight or feeding.
To make it into mushroom leather, the mycelium grows on organic materials such as sawdust, through natural biological processes, to form a thick pad that looks and feels like leather.
Mushroom leather is already popular in Brazil.According to a recent study by stand.earth, more than 100 major fashion brands are exporters of Brazilian leather products from cattle farms that have been clearing the Amazon rainforest for two decades.
Sonia Guajajara, executive coordinator of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), said vegan products such as mushroom leather remove the political element that favors ranchers to protect forests.”The fashion industry that buys these products can now opt for the better side,” she said.
In the five years since its invention, the mushroom leather industry has attracted major investors and some of fashion’s most famous designers.
Last year, Patrick Thomas, former CEO of Hermes International, known worldwide for its focus on luxury leather, and Ian Bickley, president of fashion brand Coach, both joined Mycoworks, one of two US makers of mushroom leather.The California-based company recently secured $125 million in funding from global investment firms, including Prime Movers Lab, known for funding major technological breakthroughs.
“The opportunity is enormous, and we believe that unmatched product quality combined with a proprietary, scalable manufacturing process holds MycoWorks poised to be the backbone of the new materials revolution,” David Siminoff, the firm’s general partner, said in a release. said in.
Mycoworks is using the funds to build a new facility in Union County, South Carolina, where it plans to grow millions of square feet of mushroom leather.
Bolt Threads, another U.S. maker of mushroom leather, has formed an alliance of several apparel giants to produce a variety of mushroom leather products, including Adidas, which recently partnered with the company to revamp its popular leather with vegan leather. Welcome Stan Smith leather sneakers.The company recently purchased a mushroom farm in the Netherlands and started mass production of mushroom leather in partnership with a European mushroom leather manufacturer.
Fibre2Fashion, the global tracker of the textile fashion industry, recently concluded that mushroom leather could soon be found in more consumer products.”Soon, we should see trendy bags, biker jackets, heels and mushroom leather accessories in stores around the world,” it wrote in its findings.
Post time: Jun-24-2022
