Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.
MycoWorks x Deadwood Studios
The first ready-to-wear garments made with MycoWorks‘ Reishi Natural leather alternative appeared at Copenhagen Fashion Week this summer in collaboration with the Stockholm-based brand Deadwood Studios.
“Every square centimeter of this material is a work of art itself, and nature is the artist,” Deadwood Studios co-founder Felix von Bahder said of the Fine Mycelium product. “I just love the raw quality of the surface with its organic formations of spots and specks. That’s what perfection looks like to me.”
After they partnered on a bespoke Paris Fashion Week collaboration, MycoWorks and Deadwood Studios created a made-to-order four-piece collection available on Deadwood’s website. This first-of-its-kind ready-to-wear capsule collection made entirely in Fine Mycelium includes a statement coat, vest, jacket and bag. The Swedish-made camel-colored collection is produced to order and priced at $532-$3,190.
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“Reishi is a unique material to work with: supple but structured, its natural mycelial color and marbled detailing add a rawness unmatched with other fabrics on the market,” Deadwood Studios’ co-founder Carl Ollson said. “We have received a lot of interest in our capsule collection made with Reishi with many people asking us about the material and it has had a great sell-through.”
The Bay Area biomaterials company employs a proprietary Fine Mycelium process to grow the mycelium roots in a controlled environment, letting the fungi roots form interlocking cellular structures that “form the building blocks of their materials” to produce leather-like Reishi. MycoWorks claims its product “meets the luxury industry’s performance standards and climate commitments.” Deadwood Studios has committed to getting 80 percent of its materials from recycled, upcycled or next-generation sources.
“It’s so special to see designers learn to fabricate with our new material,” said Bill Morris, MycoWorks’ vice president of product design. “Deadwood has really taken the Reishi for what it is, and harnessed the natural characteristics of mycelium into raw, beautiful and natural design.”
Gozen x Balenciaga
Two years in the making, Balenciaga got the first crack at Lunaform, a novel new material it showed at Paris Fashion Week.
Free of plastic and animal inputs, Lunaform is the brainchild of Gozen, the biomaterials startup founded by Turkish designer and CEO Ece Gozen nearly three-and-a-half years ago. Microorganisms produce ultra-crystalline patterns that turn into what Gozen calls a 3D super-material once natural substances are applied. Lunaform employs a fully vegan process free of GMOs, and SGS testing shows that the leather-esque material outperforms animal skins in strength while delivering the drape brands want, according to Gozen.
The Balenciaga Lunaform Maxi Bathrobe Coat, part of the brand’s Summer 2024 collection, illustrates the possibilities of the new bio-development.
“Our mission transcends material innovation,” according to the San Francisco startup’s founder, who describes herself on Instagram as “chief future alchemist” and was previously a sustainability ambassador for Nike. “It’s about reimagining our relationship with the natural world. By partnering with a visionary brand like Balenciaga, we’ve come one step closer to our goal.”
Lunaform can be as thin as 0.2 millimeters or with a thickness on par with cowhides and traditional leathers. It’s manufactured in 13-square-foot sheets, and according to Gozen, the seven-process production process means it will easily plug and play with a brand’s current supply chain setup. Designed for an eco-friendly end-of-life, Lunaform is targeting automative and accessories applications, as well as fashion. Gozen is backed by Hong Kong-based venture firm Happiness Capital, impact investing fund Accelr8, and SOSV, a climate tech investor out of Princeton, N.J.
Fair Harbor Clothing
Known for creating swimwear out of recycled plastic waste, Fair Harbor is now making knitwear out of product called Seawool, made by Hans Global Textile in Taiwan using discarded sea shells, in a move similar to Allbirds.
Seawool starts with oyster shells discarded by the restaurant industry. They’re treated at ultra-high temperatures before being pulverized into a fine powder that’s mixed into melted-down plastic bottles and spun into threads. The resulting fabric creates a wool-like texture that’s “more nuanced than synthetic polyester.” Fair Harbor’s Seawool capsule, part of the fall collection, includes 40 percent Seawool and 60 percent cotton.
“I learned about Seawool technology a few years ago and I immediately loved the concept because it utilized our current method of converting plastic bottles into yarn and innovated the process even further by incorporating calcium carbonate from oyster shells,” said Jake Danehy, Fair Harbor’s co-founder.
Seawool’s polyester-oyster shell blend “creates an incredibly soft material that feels just like merino wool but has the attributes of performance fabric,” he added.
Seawool’s low thermal conductivity doubles as insulation against the cold and offers UV protection while effectively raising body temperatures. The material is both odor-resistant and antimicrobial. It also retains elasticity, making it resistant to deformation, wrinkles and static.
“We’re always looking for new innovations and new ways to make garments,” Danehy said. “But I think that the combination [of Seawool] with PET bottles gives it a really amazing performance attributes and so as we continue to look forward, we’re always pushing our vendors and our factories on what else we can do to improve our garments.”
Acteev
Textile technology Acteev is growing beyond its anti-odor roots.
According to parent company Ascend Performance Material, Acteev’s flagship anti-odor line is now called Acteev Free. It can be combined with other fibers to create custom blends without any dye limitations, and targets applications in close-to-skin garments such as underwear and activewear, as well as performance-ready outdoor apparel.
Acteev Tough is a high-tenacity, low denier per filament (DPF), nylon 6.6 fiber designed for workwear, footwear, backpacks and other “rugged” applications such as industrial coveralls and tactical gear for first responders. The anti-static Acteev Clean fiber prevents dust and lint from collecting on clothing and upholstery. Acteev Clean’s functionality is inherent within the fiber, so no additional finishes or chemical treatments are required to enhance performance. This fiber can be spun into yarns with other fibers without compromising the static-free properties.
Acteev Bioserve is a plant-based nylon aimed at helping brands reach their sustainability commitments. Each product in the Acteev portfolio is available in a low-carbon offering and can be combined to create “unique solutions,” according to Nikki Huffman, global business development director for Acteev.
“Our textile scientists can work directly with brands to create a material that solves their customers’ biggest challenges,” Huffman continued. “For example, a maker of athleisure might want a no-odor garment that can go from gym to street while also repelling pet hair at home. We can combine our technologies to deliver that, and even make it plant-based and low-carbon.”
Additional reporting by Jessica Binns.