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.
Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.
After years of experimentation and development, handbags, shoes and coats made of mycelium leather — created from the roots of mushrooms — are hitting the shelves from names like Stella McCartney, Balenciaga and Hermès. It’s a test of whether mycelium leather will make it in the mainstream. Made by start-ups like Bolt Threads and MycoWorks, mycelium is promising for fashion as brands seek out non-plastic, non-animal-based, less-energy-intensive leather alternatives and consumers demand more environmentally friendly products. But taking an idea from the lab to the store floor involves a lot of trial and error.
“Innovation takes time. I think the fashion world isn’t used to having to wait. We’re all about instant gratification,” said BoF’s chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent.
Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.
The trial of Colombian designer Nancy Gonzalez for smuggling alligator and snakeskin handbags into the US shone a rare public spotlight on the trade in the exotic skins used for some of fashion’s most expensive and controversial products.
Europe’s Parliament has signed off rules that will make brands more accountable for what happens in their supply chains, ban products made with forced labour and set new environmental standards for the design and disposal of products.
Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier said it found no evidence of non-compliance at farms covered by its standard, but acknowledged weaknesses in its monitoring approach.
As they move to protect their intellectual property, big brands are coming into conflict with a growing class of up-and-coming designers working with refashioned designer gear.