Handbags© Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney Has Created The First-Ever Bag Made Out Of Mushroom Leather

Salva Mubarak
Senior Features Writer

“How can that not be luxury,” British designer Stella McCartney had said back in 2017 at the release of her collection made out of plastic salvaged from the ocean, in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans. The designer’s support for the environment continues as she becomes the first-ever label to release a bag made entirely out of mycelium, a mushroom-based leather.

McCartney has partnered with California-based start-up Bolt Threads to work with the material that has been growing in popularity in the alt-leather spaces, especially because of its unique ability to mimic leather without relying on plastics.

The Frayme Mylo bag, as it’s being called, has been in the works since 2017 and after over 5,000 iterations of the material, is finally ready for commercial use. The bag is reminiscent of the brand’s Falabella tote bag, with its oversized, recyclable, aluminum chain strap that lines the crescent-shaped clutch. Handcrafted by Italian artists, the bag is said to be as durable as classic leather and feels as luxurious too.

This is not the first time, however, that McCartney has incorporated Mylo in her collections. This first time was when the designer presented a prototype of her iconic Falabella bag as part of the V & A Fashioned from Nature Exhibition in 2018. In 2021, she also developed the world’s first garments created from Mylo and later debuted the Frayme Mylo bag at their Summer 2022 runway showcase at Paris Fashion Week.

The bag, which becomes available for retail from 1 July, 2022 at over INR 1,93,000, is a limited edition only for now, with only 100 available for acquisition. McCartney has also claimed that the label will fully incorporate Mylo into their main collection of bags from 2023.

Would you carry a bag made out of mushrooms?