US' Ecovative launches fashion cooperative with Bestseller, PVH

The global innovation platform Fashion for Good was integral in bringing these parties together to advance a petroleum-free vegan leather, Ecovative said in a media release.

Bestseller and PVH Corp share Ecovative's commitment to sustainable fashion. Their designers will work in tandem with Ecovative's team of engineers and mycologists to create mycelium solutions for their products. Members in the Fashion for Good Cooperative will bring their fashion industry expertise to work with Ecovative in a design, build and test research and development strategy. Together, the cooperative will develop mycelium materials for the consumer market.

“Mycelium provides us with an opportunity to respond to growing consumer interest in lower impact products while supporting quality and design that meet the needs and expectations of our consumers - in this case, made with 100 per cent bio-based resources. We look forward to testing and learning alongside our partners to create scalable, sustainable solutions,” said Rebecca England, VP Innovation, PVH Europe.

“This pilot enables us to gain more insight into mycelium as a leather alternative, which ultimately is both biodegradable and fully bio-based,” said Anders Schorling Overgard, Bestseller's Sustainable Materials Engineer.

Ecovative has more than a decade of experience producing mycelium materials for partners throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company launched Forager Hides, its alternative leather material, in March 2021. Forager Hides are based on Ecovative's second-generation mycelium material, building on more than five years of research and development in Ecovative's Mycelium Foundry.

The 100 per cent bio-based mycelium material is grown in sheets up to 24 meters in length and 1.8 meters wide and can be grown to partners' specific needs in terms of tensile strength, density and fibre orientation. The entire growth process takes only 9 days and yields a ready-to-finish material free of plastic scrims and petroleum-based coatings.

“Working directly with fashion brands and tanneries, we make beautiful, high-performing and sustainable materials without harming animals or the planet,” said Gavin McIntyre, Ecovative co-founder and chief business officer.

From soft and supple leather accessories and garments to durable and thick belts and shoes, Ecovative scientists are able to fine-tune their product to meet a wide array of end product needs.

“Ecovative has been focused on scaling its technologies to deliver mycelium at the scale necessary for industry leaders like Bestseller and PVH Corp. This is an exciting development in the drive to scale up these solutions and increase accessibility,” said Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)