Hermès Will Launch Bags Made of Eco-Friendly Mushroom Leather

Hermès has unveiled its first foray into the world of sustainable leather alternatives. The storied luxury house has partnered with California-based start-up MycoWorks to develop an eco-friendly version of its classic Victoria bag, crafted out of mushroom-based leather.

Hermès worked with MycoWorks to develop the start-up's patented Fine Mycelium, a mushroom-derived textile, into a leather-like material called Sylvania. The fashion house used Sylvania as the base for the new Victoria bag, which also incorporates canvas and elements of calfskin. The innovation points to fashion's increased interest in sustainability, as well as efforts to shun animal-based materials including fur and crocodile skin. Findings from a 2019 poll indicate that phasing out leather might be the next step -- the poll revealed that 37 percent of people in the UK and 23 percent in the U.S. think that leather is a “somewhat or very inappropriate material” to use in clothing.

Head to Business of Fashion to check out Hermès' mushroom leather Victoria bag, which will release by the end of the 2021. The brand clarified in a statement to BoF that Sylvania will serve as an alternative, rather than a replacement, to its animal leather goods.

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