Jean Zeid 9:37 a.m., March 26, 2024
Every morning, Jean Zeid delivers the best in terms of innovation. This Tuesday, he is interested in the mycelium from the mushroom which gives Reishi, an innovation from the company Mycowork.
This morning, mushrooms replace the leather.
Get rid of this army of button mushrooms invading your sofa. This alternative to leather cannot be cooked and is not synonymous with questionable hygiene. It was created by an American start-up Mycoworks. Mycowork which quite simply invented a new material. She has been working for around ten years on vegan materials, based on apples, cacti... without really succeeding.
But it worked with mushrooms.
The idea came to fruition thanks to the part of the called mycelium, it is the part which is frayed, as if woven with white thread. It is this mycelium which gives Reishi, a kind of skin, tanned like leather and which is made up of 100% mycelium. The technique is also called Fine Mycellium. And Mycowork loves this mycelium so much that it cultivates it in the factory, using infrared light, on trays measuring one meter by 50 centimeters, and feeds it with recycled sawdust. At this stage, there is no question of competing with leather. Reishi is a few million m2 produced per year, compared to two billion for the leather industry.
But what does this new material look like?
Basically, it is an earthy orange color. Not enough to attract customers. But Mycoworks entrusts its Reishi to tanners who are responsible for dyeing the material according to customer wishes.
Is it on demand?
Exactly, it allows you to make something almost tailor-made and especially for Mycowroks not to have stock. It takes four weeks from order to delivery. Otherwise, it really looks like leather. Reishi is available in three finishes: Natural, Soft and Pebble.
Mycowroks which is currently dedicated to the luxury market. After Hermès, it's Ligne Roset's turn to make Reishi sofas. Here again, there is no question of replacing leather, it is an alternative offered to customers alongside leather and fabric on the chairs, armchairs or sofas collections. The partnership between Mycoworks and Ligne Rosert began in 2021. and the marketing of the mycelium leather sofa is announced for 2025.
And the American company does not intend to stop there.
No more luxury, Mycoworks has started a collaboration with General Motors. Here, we are in the very general public market. This is also the real challenge of this new material. Of course, it is a question of limiting the carbon impact of breeding and also of compensating for the scarcity of premium skins. All thanks to our friend the mushroom.