On our national French TV news this evening was an article about wallets made from mushrooms. Naturally I took an interest in the possibilities for organisers. They showed the wallets to people in the street and they seemed surprised when they were told what the wallets had been made from. It has been used on training shoes and bags as well.
Whilst leather is very hard wearing and lasts years if treated correctly. People that are vegan might prefer something that doesn't come from an animal.
I found this article https://textilefocus.com/mushroom-sustainable-textile-fiber/ in English.
Currently the Filofax 'Faux-Leather' range uses plastic or recycled plastic, at some stage it has come from oil or similar.
From what I've read the production of mushroom fibre is organic and at the end of its practical life it can be recycled/composted.
If you prefer non-leather organisers, would you buy one made from alternatives such as mushroom fibre?
If it did the job, certainly. I have a vague recollection of fungus being used in prehistory, and not just for things like tinder. Strips of the outer skin being used for wound dressing, perhaps? The various bracket fungi are pretty sturdy and leathery, so it wouldn't surprise me if they could be made into a mycoleather... Then there is the packaging made from straw with a fungal binding...
ReplyDeleteWell, searching for "fungus fibre binding" threw up a lot of hits, showing there is a lot of research into fungus in many spheres of human activity...
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses three grouping of fungus (monomitic, dimitic & trimitic), and their physical properties; it mentions the bracket fungus families (such as the Fomes family, and the birch polypore), and their physical robustness. IIRC, strips of the outer skin of the Fomes have been used as strops for honing blade edges, just like leather.
ReplyDeleteD'oh... Link:
Deletehttps://www.ukfungusday.co.uk/fungiandfashion
It’s really fascinating, I prefer leather organisers but would definitely buy a mushroom one.
ReplyDeleteI saw that sheets of mushroom ’leather’ are made from the roots which forms an underground mat (in my layman’s terms) which can be processed via flattening and dehydrating.
I also saw that foragers and artisan producers make small goods from the actual mushroom above ground.
I’d love an organiser that has the pattern of the mushroom forming the patina.
I also prefer leather, but if the mushroom one looks good, feels good, and lays flat, I'm interested.
DeleteI'd buy a Filofax Shroom! 🤪
ReplyDeleteHere's a cap made from amadou, an inner layer of the horse's hoof fungus Fomes fomentarius
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomes_fomentarius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kappe_aus_Zunderschwamm.jpg
I think plant-based options, whether mushroom, cork, waxed cotton, hemp, or linen would definitely be acceptable to some people who don’t prefer leather or fossil fuels. I would like to get my hands on some of this material to try to sew on.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested! Leather seems to wear better, age better. But I am open to non leather options. I am not thrilled w the material used for Saffiano line. And I spelling that correctly?
ReplyDelete