From the makers of imitationspider silkcomes a young eco - friendly material : mushroom leather . Invented byBolt Threads , the material is called Mylo — short formycelium , the fungi filaments that are used to produce the leather .
Not only does it front like actual leather , but it sense like it too , according to the California - based company . For the preceding nine yr , Bolt Threads has been using bioengineering to take materials found in nature and transform them into never - before - seen textiles . As the company prefer to put it : “ brute leather is so 1st hundred . ”
Bolt Threads partnered with biomaterials company Ecovative to license the technology . Mycelium cells are grown in a lab , and dissimilar variable like temperature , humidity , and CO2 level are controlled to make a large fibrous meshing that looks a batch like leather , Fast Companyreports .
“ We curve it into slice , and it conk through a cognitive process not dissimilar to how animal hides are tanned to become leather , except it ’s more environmentally friendly , ” Dan Widmaier , founding father and CEO of Bolt Threads , explain .
By tweak the growing outgrowth , they can change the strength , strength , and suppleness of the leather .
While mushroom cloud leather might not sound like the most luxurious material , the company has found an unbelievable ally in the fashion industry . English designer Stella McCartney , daughter of Paul McCartney , crafted a handbag out of Mylo that has been dub theFalabella Prototype One . It ’s currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London , which is also showcasing bags that McCartney created for Paris Fashion Week using Microsilk , Bolt Threads ’s imitation wanderer silk material . In an cause to reduce the consumption of real silk , which typically involves the killing of silkworm , McCartney even created a spider silk attire .
Mylo ’s introduction comes at a sentence when many haute couture label are looking to commercialize their product as sustainable . Gucci has been fur - devoid since last year and it also launched a line ofsunglassesmade from a biodegradable material . Across theindustry , many other opulence labels have opted for substitute , eco - friendly materials . ( Pineapple " leather"has been around for a duet of years now . )
Bolt Threads will also be issue its own Mylo purse , for which a limited - edition pre - sales event will begin in June .
[ h / tFast Company ]
