June 2022

Mylo™ is rooted in collaboration. We set out to drive material change, knowing it would take collective action. Our partnerships with Stella McCartney, lululemon, and adidas, have been essential in illustrating and amplifying the possibilities for our mycelium-based leather alternative.

And now, we’re thrilled to expand on our partnerships with GANNI — an unstoppable fashion label on the move to make virgin animal leather a thing of the past — and introduce Mylo to their bold, stylish, and conscientious community.

Ready. Set. GANNI.

What better place to introduce our collaborative assortment than at the annual meeting of fashion’s most conscientious minds? During the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 7–8, GANNI unveiled their first Mylo products in a colorful pop-up display in Nikolaj Plads, giving the first glimpse of what’s to come with one-of-a-kind, hand-decorated saddle bags gifted to lucky raffle winners and a limited-edition drop of wallets available for purchase at GANNI’s Bremerholm store.

GANNI’s Signature Style Meets Material Science

GANNI is not here to blend in with trends or to accommodate the status quo of fast fashion. Founded in 2009 by couple Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup, the “Danish cool-girl brand,” as defined by The Business of Fashion, is here to stir things up. Based in Copenhagen, the brand has 30+ stores across Europe and the United States and is represented in more than 600 retailers worldwide. Their bold style, eye-catching use of colors and patterns, and ambitious sustainability commitments have garnered global attention.

Determined to cut virgin animal leather from their assortment by 2023, GANNI is exploring various leather alternatives that meet their high design standards. In step with their innovative nature, they recently launched a run of shoes made with VEGEA, a plant-based material partially derived from grape skins from winemaking. Mylo is in good company.

As the brand continues to evolve, ditching virgin animal leather remains a priority, and Mylo is a reliable and scalable solution. Developed by the world-class scientists and engineers at Bolt Threads, Mylo is a mycelium-based leather alternative that delivers the desirable qualities of leather — the timeless aesthetic, the supple softness, and that nostalgic feel we all know so well — but without the planetary impact associated with raising livestock.

While cows take years to raise, mycelium takes less than two weeks to grow. Mylo is made from mycelium grown in a state-of-the-art vertical farming facility powered by 100% renewable energy. It is verified to be biobased and vegan, as no animals are involved in the process.

A Transparent Approach to Sustainability

Fueled by the climate crisis and a desire to do better by the planet, GANNI is making change — and fast. Continuing to push their own boundaries, they recently launched their most responsible collection yet, and in 2021 alone, they checked an impressive number of sustainability achievements off their to-do list. Among these milestones: GANNI designed denim in line with The Jeans Redesign initiative, submitted their B Corp application, and created virtual samples with CLO3D, in addition to signing a contract with Mylo. 

GANNI is refreshingly straightforward with their sustainability goals and how they measure up. Are they perfect, environmentally speaking? No. And they don’t claim to be. On their website, they clarify, “We don’t identify as a sustainable brand… we’re focused on becoming the most responsible version of ourselves. Committed to making better choices every day across the business to minimise our social and environmental impact. We see this as our moral obligation.” As far as they’ve come, there’s plenty more to do, and we’re excited to be part of their journey.

Raising the Bar on Fashion’s Status Quo

Making change isn’t easy, especially when it comes to a material so deeply ingrained in the history of fashion as leather. Not to mention, leather goods are top sellers for GANNI, so it’s a commendable undertaking, one the brand is executing in its own style. “Phasing out virgin leather hurts big-time from a creative and commercial point of view,” Nicolaj Reffstrup shared with Vogue Scandinavia. “Ganni could continue creating many great [leather] products to be sold in the thousands, but we can’t because we have to do better. Sometimes I doubt what we’re doing, but the next morning I wake up and feel proud that we keep insisting despite the challenges.”

GANNI plans to unveil more Mylo products in the first half of 2023. Sign up for the Mylo newsletter to be the first to know when GANNI x Mylo products are available.