Stella Mccartney will take a key step in the use of vegan substitutes for leather this July 1 with the launch of the Frayme Mylo bag in stores that day.
The bag, made from a material that resembles leather created from mushrooms, was presented for the first time at the Summer 2022 fashion show. Its arrival on store shelves will be a breakthrough, as more and more high-end brands adopt material solutions that are not based on animal skins and technological advances make these solutions more eco-friendly than the plastic options of the past.
McCartney is known for her stance against animal cruelty and has been a pioneer in finding solutions to the problems of animal abuse and fashion ecology.
This launch marks the first time a bag created with mycelium (the root-like structure of mushrooms) will be sold commercially.
The designer has had a long-term partnership with Mylo’s creator, Bolt Threads, since 2017 and «has been part of the Mylo journey since its inception, combining deep science with high fashion design.»
The new bag «showcases the capabilities of this next-generation material and is the first of future commercial offerings.»
The bag has been manufactured in Italy by artisans trained to work with the new material. The design is inspired by the brand’s Falabella bag, and includes an oversized recyclable aluminum chain strap that encircles the bag, as well as a zamac medallion. This is a limited edition, with bags numbered from 1 to 100.
The commercial launch of the Frayme Mylo is part of the brand’s broader Summer 2022 campaign, dubbed «Fashion Fungi,» «which takes a psychedelic journey into nature. Based on the notion that fungi connect us all, it is inspired by the transformative and transcendental qualities of these amazing organisms, as seen in the documentary Fantastic Fungi.»