From the vegetable drawer via the supplements aisle to fashion week's front row: welcome to the shroom boom making fungi the new must-have.
According to new research, the sort of designer It-bags once crafted from exotic skins such as crocodile and python might in future be made out of mushrooms instead. Not only that, your mycelium leather handbag could, scientists say, heal itself when scratched.
A study published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany suggests that "mycelium wearables" created from fungal fibres might one day offer a bioactive alternative to traditional "static" fabrics and materials. The thread-like mycelium network created by some types of fungus is made of up living, sensing strands that have also been found to conduct electricity.
It might sound like science-fiction but some fashion brands are already working with mushroom leather. The eco-friendly designer Stella McCartney, who is also a sustainability adviser to Bernard Arnault's LVMH group, pioneered the use of a lab-grown substitute called Mylo to create a prototype bustier and pair of trousers in 2021. In 2022, she launched a limited run of 100 luxury bags made from the faux hide, which contains 85 per cent mycelium and 15 per cent recycled cellulose.
"We are doing the groundwork because we believe we can change the course of the industry if we support these innovations," McCartney said. She said she wants to make mycelium leather "accessible for other brands".
For autumn 2025, McCartney created bags from Yatay M, which is 30 per cent recycled polyester and 70 per cent biobased polyurethane, which contains mycelium.
"It's soft, supple and hard-wearing," McCartney said, adding: "More importantly, it hasn't killed a single animal."
Brands including Adidas, Lululemon and the luxury conglomerate Kering — which includes Gucci and Balenciaga — have partnered with the California-based biotech company Bolt Threads to create trainers and yoga mats out of Mylo.
Now there is something of an arms race among manufacturers to bring mycelium products to market. In South Carolina, a rival team at MycoWorks has raised over $187 million from investors, including Hermes and GM Motors, to work on a luxury product called Fine Mycelium for handbags and car upholstery.
"It's the first time a vegetal product [is] matching or exceeding the quality, durability and aesthetics of a natural one," said Patrick Thomas, Hermès' former chief executive and MycoWorks board member of the initial phase.
It is part of a wider vogue for mushrooms among luxury consumers, as exemplified in January when Chanel dotted its couture catwalk with giant toadstool statues and sent out mushroom charm necklaces to editors and VIP clients as invitations.
The global market for mushrooms — across culinary, medicinal and innovative materials — is predicted to rise from $68 billion in 2023 to $136 billion in 2032. They have been embraced by the wellness crowd in recent years for their health benefits.
"It's a whole cultural shift," said Gemma Ogston, the founder of Mama Shrooms supplements. "From health benefits to biodegradable packaging and regenerative materials, mushrooms are nature's superpower."