The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The Canadian sportswear retailer said Wednesday it will launch yoga mats and bags made from Mylo — a mushroom-based leather alternative developed by biomaterials maker Bolt Threads. The company said the bags will go on sale in early 2022, and has not yet revealed when the mats will be available.
The announcement comes as part of Lululemon’s wider sustainability and material innovation strategy, including the launch of a resale programme in April of this year.
Lululemon first revealed plans to make products from the renewable Mylo material last October, announcing it would join the Mylo consortium, a partnership of retailers who have invested in and secured exclusive access to the Mylo material. The consortium also counts Stella McCartney, Adidas and Kering as members. The three companies have yet to announce launch dates for the commercial rollout of their Mylo products.
The French luxury giant is betting on higher prices and a suite of emerging supply-chain initiatives to help keep growing its business while cutting total greenhouse gas emissions.
While most brands have banned fur, animal welfare is rarely discussed when it comes to more mainstream and lucrative fabrics like leather.
After swinging to an operating loss of $41 million in 2021, the buzzy fashion startup has stabilised and remains focused on its ambition to build a materials science business.
Clothes have become more like memes than physical goods, moments to take part in online, with catastrophic consequences for the environment, writes Alec Leach.