Hermès has incorporated the use of Sylvania mycelial material, developed in collaboration with MycoWorks, into its Victoria bag.
03.17.2021.- For some time now, Hermès has been studying the possible use of alternative raw materials to leather. Now, he is working with MycoWorks, a Californian company that has developed Sylvania, a material produced in the laboratory, derived from the mycelium of mushrooms. It will be used in a new version of its Victoria travel bag, which it will introduce later this year.
Victoria's new model is made of canvas, calfskin and Sylvania, a material derived from mushroom mycelium that mimics the properties of leather. Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Artistic Director of Hermés, said: With Sylvania, Hermès remains focused on its long-standing message: innovation on the go.
What material is more natural and ecological?
Hermès is synonymous with classic luxury, which translates into silk scarves and bags made from calfskin. However, as market trends dictate, it has decided to look for new alternative courses.
Hermès's strategy responds to the evolution of the luxury market, whose players must confront consumers who are changing their preferences. Gucci and Burberry, for example, have already abandoned the use of fur, even exotic fur. Chanel is going the same way and has also invested in Evolved by Natura, a green chemical company.
New materials are indeed gaining traction, even in the most conservative bastions of luxury, as sustainability gains traction in the minds of consumers. Among them are several types of imitation fur. Plastic ones have been used for a long time. It is a vegan solution but not necessarily sustainable. Faux leather based on organic materials - pineapples, for example - are more recent. Right now, the mycelium enjoys greater prestige.
At the same time, greener consumers believe that genuine leather requires excessive use of resources: from land and barns to raise livestock to energy and water. In addition, the subsequent treatment of the skin often requires the use of potentially dangerous chemicals.
MycoWorks and Bolt Threads, competitors
MycoWorks, the company Hermès has partnered with, has recently received $45 million worth of funding from various funds and even from some fashion brands. Your mycelium material can be created in the lab and then enhanced during the cultivation process.
Stella McCartney and the Kering group, for their part, have teamed up with Bolt Threads, a rival company that also works with raw material from mushrooms and transforms it into the material called Mylo.
Hermès has hardly announced its sustainability policy. The durability of its products, however, is highly appreciated by its customers, who want to avoid throwaway items at all costs. With the new Victoria material, Hermés also wants to win over the public that is more conscious of sustainability.
+ Info: https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/
