Fashion is one of the leading polluting industries. It is second only to the oil industry. In the last few years, there is an increasing number of innovations, new sustainable methods, reduced environmental impact, and cruelty-free materials. In this new category, we will cover some of these alternative materials.
We are starting with MuSkin – a 100 % vegetable eco-alternative to animal leather. It is a skin extracted from the Phellinus ellipsoideus, a kind of big parasitic fungus that grows in the wild and attacks the trees in the subtropical forests.
It is processed in a manner totally similar to that of the animal leather. A tanning phase, however, is entirely natural, done with water vapor only and it does not include any chemical substance.
In 2012 the first sample di MuSkin was created, while it was only in July 2016 when the commercialization process started.
The appearance of Muskin is very similar to suede but it is much softer.
It has great performance:
do not promote the proliferation of bacteria
has a strong capacity to absorb moisture (umidità) and then to release it
It is breathable and has shown natural water repellent characteristics
The total absence of chemicals makes Muskin 
totally non-toxic and therefore ideal for use in the manufacture of items that are in direct contact with the skin.
One could work on Muskin with methodologies same as for the animal leather. From hot laminations and compression, splitting, to stitching and coloring or any other surface treatment.
Following is a gallery of many different products produced with Muskin. Enjoy!
Nadica M
ethospheremagg 