Hermès: The Mushroom Alternative

Hermès, a brand synonymous with luxury and known for its production of high-end designer bags, has recently announced a collaboration with MycoWorks that will focus on a sustainable alternative – mushrooms. This ‘mushroom’ alternative will be made from mycelium: the vegetative part of a fungus or fungus-like bacterial colony, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Hermès will trial the material on the Victoria bag, which is available to purchase in canvas, calfskin and Sylvania (vegan mushroom leather). Hermès clarified in a statement that Sylvania will not be overtaking its leather counterparts but will act as an alternative for those who would like to make an eco-friendlier purchase.

This announcement bodes well for the future of sustainability in luxury fashion. An increasing number of brands (including fast-fashion outlets) have been producing ‘sustainable’, pro-vegan lines which, though perhaps made up of less animal products, are not necessarily eco-friendly from a consumer perspective. When purchasing items of clothing from sustainable lines, it is important to look at all materials used in the garment; if a product is vegan but filled with micro-plastics, it is not sustainable or eco-friendly. Hermès’ collaboration with MycoWorks, which creates mycelium directly, is more promising. The biomaterial has already been in production for three years and will emulate traditional leather, with an interlocking cellular structure which reportedly creates a strength and durability akin to cow skin.

Odunayo Ojo, better known as YouTube’s The Fashion Archive, has commented that this collaboration reveals a great deal about how we look at and critique fashion sustainability. In his video, ‘Hermes Is Creating Bags Using Mushrooms, A Move To Sustainability?’, he speaks in detail about the lengths brands go to in order to be perceived as sustainable, especially in fast fashion: “There are people who like to point fingers at someone who is wearing real leather that will probably last years and years, and [who will] get called a bad person because they wear leather. Meanwhile, this supposed person who cares about sustainability is wearing vegan leather, not knowing that it is actually made of micro-plastics and the quality is terrible and it’s going to go to a landfill very quickly. Virtue-signalling is a part of the damaging sustainability conversation.” With the fashion industry recognised to contribute around 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global wastewater, how long will greenwashing be marketed before it becomes clear that it isn’t helping to fight the climate crisis? Odunayo continues, in relation to fast fashion: “… At the core of sustainability is that we have enough clothing in the world already. So when fast fashion creates a sustainable line, this means that they are creating extra clothing on top of everything they already over-produce. They should not create sustainable lines [but should] focus on making their production process more sustainable. Influencers that claim that they are sustainable while collaborating with fast fashion sustainable lines… There is a massive disconnect.” Many have agreed with this sentiment, including Katrin Wenz, an expert in agriculture at Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND): "Fashion brands are capitalising on the fact that consumers are interested in buying fairly and ecologically produced items. Organic cotton is certainly a step in the right direction, because neither genetic modification nor synthetic pesticides can be used in its production. But these own-brand sustainability labels rarely tell us anything about what happens later on in the production chain."

MycoWorks’ vision reflects the values of the eco-conscious consumer as well as those at Hermès: a fascination with natural raw material and its transformation, and a pursuit of excellence, with the aim of ensuring that objects are put to their best use and that their longevity is maximised. With the introduction of fabrics like Sylvania, hopefully we will see a greater number of fully recycled products becoming mainstream in the fashion world. Given that Hermès, one of the most accredited brands for luxury leather bags, has made this change, it is not inconceivable that other fashion houses will follow suit with sustainable alternatives. After all, it is not enough to simply pledge support for the cause: “vegan usually just means plastic, so take precaution and stop purchasing.”

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