Stella McCartney designs first luxury handbag made from mushrooms

Five years of development with Bolt Threads is how long it has taken Stella McCartney to launch the first luxury handbag made from sustainable mushroom leather.

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Mycelium, derived from a structure very similar to mushroom roots, is the latest innovation in vegan alternatives. After much research into materials and several iterations, Stella McCartney has managed to completely replace animal leather with vegetable leather.

The British designer‘s Frayme Mylo has been handmade by Italian artisans and will be sold exclusively. Only 100 numbered bags will go on sale on 1 July. It is inspired by the Falabella bag and features a large recyclable aluminium chain that wraps around the entire silhouette.

“Bringing to market the first luxury handbag made from Mylo is a major milestone for conscious consumers; the biomaterials industry and the future of luxury fashion,” says Dan Widmaier, founder and CEO of Bolt Threads. “The new bag is part of a broader shift in the McCartney brand’s approach, with the new campaign centred on Fashion Fungi, inspired by the transformative and transcendental qualities of the mushroom.”