Muskin - MuSkin
Mushroom leather - Muskin
MuSkin comes from a big parasitic fungus that grows on trees in the subtropical forests. MuSkin is made of the external peel of this mushroom. It is used for shoes, bags and accessories. MuSkin looks and feels like suede and is sometimes called vegan leather or mushroom leather, but it is not leather. It is 100% vegetable substance.
An analysis of material samples showed that this material is very soft and has a pleasant feel, but has nothing in common with the tear strength of leather. Therefore, check this property before processing in any case!
Very soft, feels good, but no tear resistance.
Mylo - a mushroom material from Bolt Threads
Mylo is a new material from the company Bolt Threads from California, which is made from the mycelium of mushrooms. Mycelium is the root of mushrooms that you normally do not see because it grows in the soil or in the wood. The root system of the mushrooms is harvested, cleaned, coloured, pressed and if desired, provided with a surface embossing. The result is a leather-like material.
The Tannery Heller-Leder cooperates with the company Bolt Threads in the research, development and production of this new material called Mylo.
Studies in 2023 have shown that materials made from mycelium have a significantly poorer performance in terms of tensile and tear strength compared to leather due to the looser fiber structure and therefore an improvement can only be achieved with supporting carrier material. Great steps in further development are still required before leather alternatives reach the quality standards of leather.
In 2003, Bolt Threads ran into financial difficulties to develop Mylo into a marketable product. Despite starting capital of $300 million from well-known brands, follow-up financing was unsuccessful.
So far, no developer of leather alternatives has been able to develop a product with the same properties as leather, despite sometimes immense budgets, and the disappointment of the financiers at Mylo does not make it easier for developers of leather alternatives to obtain sufficient capital on the market.
Additional information
- Leather alternatives
- Vegan leather
- Bio leather
- Eco leather
- Wineleather - Wine Leather
- Piñatex - pineapple leather
- Nuvi Releaf
- Artificial leather - Imitation leather
- What materials can be called leather?
- PeTA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
a kotori web solution