MycoWorks Marks 10 Years with New Product Updates
California-based MycoWorks is celebrating a decade in business by adding three new alt-leather offerings to its biomaterials assortment.
The company’s hero product, Reishi, is a mycelium-based alternative to traditional leather. The material differs from other “mushroom leathers” on the market in that it is grown as a biomaterial sheet like a hide, and does not depend on polymer films, fillers or backings to lend strength and durability.
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This week, MycoWorks announced the debut of of Reishi Doux, Reishi Natural, and Reishi Pebble—new variants that offer unique properties related to hand-feel and performance—to suit different applications in fashion.
MycoWorks said it first previewed these Fine Mycelium prototype products in 2016. While those preliminary efforts demonstrated both durability and softness, they lacked tensile strength. Seven years of research and development yielded breakthroughs in mycelium fermentation and tanning, and the new suite of alt-leathers exceeds performance standards set by the luxury sector, including flexibility, finish adhesion, tear strength and abrasion resistance, MycoWorks said. The company plans to produce them at a first-of-its-kind, commercial-scale Fine Mycelium factory in Union, S.C.
Phil Ross began exploring mycelium-based material development in the 1990s, demonstrating the material’s structural capabilities and its potential applications for the fashion industry. In 2013, Ross and Sophia Wang founded MycoWorks.
“Heritage-level quality can only be achieved with long-term dedication to discovery, paired with a commitment to craft and the transmission of deep expertise,” Patrick Thomas, MycoWorks board member and former CEO of Hermès, said. The Fine Mycelium platform, he added, combines “artisanal mastery with a rigorous approach to material innovation in a scalable way.”
The company’s vice president of product management, Bill Morris, credits European tannery partners with helping to improve the material’s performance this year.
“Our current product has surprised and delighted our brand partners, who have witnessed its evolution,” he said, noting that the latest Fine Mycelium offering offers new levels of technical performance. Hermès, General Motors, Ligne Roset, Heron Preston and Nick Fouquet are among the material innovator’s brand partners.
“It took a lot of development, innovation, and patience to reach this milestone,” MycoWorks CEO Matt Scullin said. “While most plant- or mycelium-based alternative materials use plastic to meet baseline performance standards, MycoWorks has spent ten years taking no shortcuts, in order to achieve the biotech innovations behind our proprietary process.
“Operating vertically—owning our entire technology stack, rather than licensing and outsourcing—has given us the depth of expertise required to bring a new material to market,” Scullin said.
“This is a breakthrough for the luxury industry,” Thibault Schockert, CEO of luxury leather goods factory Cuir du Vaudreuil, added. “This improvement gives us the opportunity to introduce an entirely new category to our business.”
MycoWorks brand partner, Venice, Calif. hatmaker Nick Fouquet, followed the company’s news Thursday with an announcement that he would be expanding his Made with Reishi hat collection with three new styles. Available for order immediately, the hats will add to more than a dozen other styles currently featuring Reishi.
“We are known for our modern aesthetic that infuses whimsical, California-inspired elements with bespoke European detail,” Fouquet said. “Reishi is the only leather alternative that meets our quality standards. The ultimate test for us was when our craftspeople couldn’t tell the difference between Reishi and animal leather.”
The French-American designer said shoppers have responded positively to the leather alternative, demonstrating their demand for animal-free, non-polymer options that offer high quality and low environmental impact. “Our customers love the Made with Reishi collection and the positive social media sentiment has been overwhelming,” said.
