Bolt Threads announces exclusive partnerships to introduce Mylo

Adidas, Kering, Lululemon and Stella McCartney have united with Bolt Threads to usher in a more sustainable future for fashion. The consortium is the largest joint development in consumer biomaterials to date.

Bolt Threads is on a mission to harness the underground structure of mushrooms as it is an infinitely renewable resource. The material, Mylo, is made from renewable mycelium, and it looks and feels like leather; the label partners will begin bringing Mylo products in 2021.

Unlike actual leather, the process of making Mylo uses 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, according to Bolt Threads. It also takes less than two weeks to grow, it emits fewer greenhouse gases and uses less water and resources than animal leather.

Founder and creative director, Stella McCartney, has worked with Bolt Threads since 2017, she said in a statement: “Many people associate leather with luxury but since the beginning I always wanted to approach things in a different way because killing animals for the sake of fashion is quite simply not acceptable.”

In April 2018, the company collaborated with the designer to create a prototype of McCartney's Falabella bag, made with Mylo. The bag premiered at the Fashioned from Nature exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Bolt Threads has not disclosed the supply chain of Mylo, only to say that it is a European tanning partner that has “five years of experience working with leather and meets top certifications in sustainability,” according to Bolt Thread’s website.

“The consortium unites four iconic and forward-thinking companies, Adidas, Kering, Lululemon, and Stella McCartney, who collectively represent hundreds of millions of square feet of potential demand for Mylo. Most importantly, this is an ongoing commitment to develop materials and products for a more sustainable future," said Dan Widmaier, Bolt Threads CEO.

Photo credit: Bolt Threads