Grown, Not Sewn: The Living Future of Fashion
From mycelium “leather” to bacterial cellulose and brewed-protein silks, the new atelier’s muse is biology and they’re designing on the lab bench. Designers are teaming with scientists to cultivate materials that emboss, stitch, and perform with less waste, fewer toxins, and stories you can trace. We break down who’s leading, which fashion houses are already using biomaterials, and the real pros and cons for design.
Why the industry is excited about biomaterials (…again)
Performance + design control are catching up
Bio-based platforms can now be embossed, stitched, tuned, and scaled into luxury-grade components (e.g., MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium used by Hermès on Sylvania), proving they can meet couture finishing standards rather than just concept pieces.
Brand resilience + differentiation
New material IP offers supply-chain alternatives to volatile hides and petro-derivatives, plus fresh storytelling that travels (lab-grown, plastic-free, grown-to-shape). Natural Fiber Welding’s suite became a collaboration magnet across fashion, footwear and even auto (BMW), signalling cross-industry demand.
Compliance tailwinds
Tighter sustainability scrutiny (claims, chemicals, water) makes platforms like Colorifix’s bio-dyeing attractive because they cut water/chemicals while meeting OEKO-TEX® benchmarks.
Culture shift from “prototype” to “product.”
You can now buy brewed-protein garments at retail (Spiber x Goldwin/ THE NORTH FACE Japan), plant-leather sneakers (Allbirds x MIRUM®), and Hermès’ mycelium-based object - evidence of a commercial step, not just runway experiments.
Market-leading biomaterial families
Mycelium “leather” (fungal-grown hides)
Leaders: MycoWorks (Fine Mycelium / Reishi™).
Who’s used it: Hermès (Sylvania object); Nick Fouquet’s Reishi hats.
Why it matters: Takes embossing, stitching, and can be finished without chrome tanning; grown to spec in days–weeks reduces cutting waste.
Reality check: Bolt Threads’ mycelium leather (Mylo) paused amid funding headwinds, proof that tech risk and scale economics still bite.
Plant-based, plastic-free “leathers”
Leaders: MIRUM® by Natural Fiber Welding (plants + minerals; no PU/PVC); Piñatex® by Ananas Anam (pineapple leaf fibre composite).
Who’s used it: Allbirds Plant Pacer sneaker (MIRUM®); Ralph Lauren MIRUM® capsule; Piñatex with Hugo Boss and H&M across accessories/footwear.
Note on market volatility: NFW’s fast rise drew major brand investment; recent reports highlight how fragile supplier economics can be without multi-year brand commitments.
Brewed/fermented protein fibres (bio-silks)
Leaders: Spiber (Brewed Protein™); AMSilk (biotech silk).
Who’s used it: Spiber with Goldwin / THE NORTH FACE Japan (multi-brand capsule at retail); Adidas showed AMSilk’s BioSteel® performance concept and AMSilk has expanded manufacturing with Evonik.
Microbial/bacterial cellulose (grown cellulose)
Leaders/players: Nanollose Nullarbor™ (tree-free lyocell-type fibre from microbial cellulose); early couture experiments by BioCouture inspired today’s R&D.
Who’s using it: Supply agreements and sampling via Paradise Textiles; Nullarbor positioned as stronger than conventional lyocell with brand pilots underway.
Biological colour (microbial/algae dyeing)
Leaders: Colorifix (microbial dyeing at mill scale); algae-based pigment firms for inks/prints.
Who’s using it: H&M Group Ventures backs Colorifix; installations at mills aim to drastically reduce water and chemicals vs. conventional dyeing.
