October 2020

The Mylo™ consortium – an unprecedented partnership with four iconic global companies – have secured exclusive access to Mylo™ material. Marrying deep science with high design, the consortium is the largest joint development agreement in consumer biomaterials to date.

Read the New York Times feature to learn more about the announcement.

These forward-thinking companies – adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney – collectively represent hundreds of millions of square feet of potential demand for Mylo. This partnership opens up a world of opportunities in material innovation and creative solutions to reduce our environmental impact.

Bringing Mylo Products to Market

The scientists at Bolt Threads have spent the past few years honing the desirable qualities of Mylo, which has led to its demand in some of the world’s leading design studios. Made from infinitely renewable mycelium, Mylo looks and feels like leather – and soon, everyone is going to be able to see and touch for themselves.

Consortium partners were drawn to Mylo because of its remarkable resemblance to soft, supple leather. Mylo can be used like animal or synthetic leather and isn’t constrained by color, finish, or emboss.

The first Mylo products will be available for purchase in stores and online in 2021.

Scaling Mylo for Accessibility

A commonly asked question is whether Mylo™ material will eventually become available to other, smaller brands and designers. Accessibility is 100% the goal for Mylo. The intent behind Mylo is to create a high quality leather alternative that has the potential to replace animal and synthetic leather in our everyday lives. But creating a brand new material from scratch is challenging and expensive. A global team of experts are engineering entirely new processes. After all, the process for making leather as good as it is today took thousands of years.

At this stage, large brands are needed to help subsidize the massive costs that come with developing a novel process and building a supply chain to make Mylo at commercial scale. Mylo™ consortium partners are enabling the development of a process that will eventually produce a high quality leather alternative at a comparable price to leather hide.

A Global Shift Toward Sustainability

The process of finding the right brand partners was highly selective, based on mission alignment and a demonstrated commitment to sustainability. The four selected companies appreciate that Mylo™ material is developed from the ground up with environmental impact at the forefront. For the Mylo consortium partners, this is more than a marketing story, as they are investing in science and research to make sure the material is truly better for the planet.

The Mylo consortium marks a major milestone in the fashion industry, as global companies come together in an ongoing commitment to develop materials and products for a more sustainable future.