Mycelium “leather” has been mooted as a potential replacement for animal leathers for some time, but has been plagued by the inconsistencies brought about by the natural, uncontrolled growth process. This process typically results in a leather-like material that varies unpredictably in tensile strength, thickness, and breathability throughout the material.
During a conversation with CEO Matt Scullin, he talked me through the progress of the company since the Series B funding round in late 2020 that raised $45M to develop their production facility in Emeryville, California. The starting point, he said, was the establishment of a production team.
Scullin explained that the mycelium material is grown in proprietary trays: “The fundamental unit carefully designed to induce just the right conditions for the mycelium to grow, and the crux of IP.” The tray is essentially a container designed to facilitate the movement of gas throughout the mycelium and substrate mix and maintains ideal conditions for the predictable, controlled growth of the “leather”. “The tray is something that can be infinitely scaled,” says Scullin.
, automation is fast becoming a fundamental facet of viable expansion of ‘local’ production facilities in the apparel and footwear industry. Expanding on this, Scullin added: “Scaling up is an exercise in the ability to handle trays. This is well established in other industries, so we are tapping into those, fruit and vegetable sorting, indoor agriculture, and warehouse operations, for example.
I love mushrooms so I'll happily eat, wear and sauté myself in that shit
Hey Nike check this out.
Now if we can just get these inventions on majority of single use items
...that looks like a dosa
As predicted by JulesVerne in Journey to the Center of the Earth.
💚🤘
In South Tyrol they create leather from apples, for car seats, books etc
I'm just getting used to the concept of plant based shrimp.