New York-based mycelium producer Ecovative is teaming up with Vivobarefoot and Pangaia. The companies will join the Fashion for Good cooperative, working directly with Ecovative to co-develop custom mycelium materials to tap for their fashion and footwear lines. [Vivobarefoot, Pangaia Place Bets on Ecovative's Mycelium Foam – WWD]
Mycelium is on the move, with countless firms scaling up leather alternatives.
Galahad Clark, chief executive officer and founder at Vivobarefoot called the grown mushroom root process “one of the most versatile and high-performing bio-materials on the planet” with great replacement potential for harmful petroleum-based polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) inputs that have no decomposition outlook.
“As a natural health business, from our founding, Vivobarefoot has been committed to using sustainably sourced, natural, bio-based and recycled materials. We are very excited to partner with Ecovative to create the next generation of high-performing, regenerative footwear that will bring us closer to nature and our natural human potential,” he said.