The time is not yet ripe for the triumphant entry of vegan or plant-based leathers into the world of clothing. But they could become one. Indeed, the news in Vogue Business reporting the failure of the Mylo material, produced by the US start-up Bolt Threads, should not discourage other attempts. Made from the mycelium of mushrooms, Mylo looked and felt very similar to animal leather and immediately attracted the interest of brands such as Adidas, Hermès and Stella McCartney.

The cause seemed to be the galloping inflation and falling investments, according to Dan Widmaier, Mylo’s CEO. In addition to costs, further work will have to be done on performance, which is lower than that of animal skin. However, the idea remains in the air. Widmaier himself has stated that Mylo has only been “put on hold”, and it is reasonable to think that in the not-too-distant future, in a hopefully more relaxed geopolitical situation and consequently in a more stable economy, next-gen materials will take their rightful place in a sustainable world.

In the area of customisation, bio-based leathers could be the next big thing after the already established trends of other eco-friendly materials. If one has been able to work with seaweed, hemp, sugar cane, corn starch and recycled paper or wood, materials such as Mylo & Co. certainly do not frighten as potential future print media.