These Vegan Versions Of Adidas’s Iconic Stan Smith Sneakers Are Made From Mushroom Leather

Sportswear giant Adidas recently unveiled its plant-based versions of its famous Stan Smith Sneakers showcasing biotech company Bolt Threads‘ Mylo, a renewable mycelium-based vegan leather.

Back in October of last year, Bolt Threads revealed that it has joined forces with leading names in the fashion industry such as Kering Group, Lululemon, Stella McCartney as well as German-based Adidas to showcase its sustainable materials in the brands’ upcoming 2021 collections.

The new Stan Smith sneakers feature a cruelty-free leather called Mylo, a material created from renewable mycelium, known as the underground roots of mushrooms. The regenerative mycelium can be grown in under two weeks and using a vertical agriculture process, it can even be grown in labs increasing the yield per square foot. The resulting material is quite similar to the look and feel of traditional animal-based leather.

Launched first in 1965, the original Stan Smith shoes mostly featured titanium white leather, however, the vegan version has a cream-hued body. The outer upper, perforated three stripes, heel tab overlay, and branding are all made with Mylo, with a brown midsole made from natural rubber.

In a press release seen by Green Queen, global head of Future at Adidas, Amy Jones Vaterlaus, said: “The introduction of Mylo is a major step forward in our bold ambition to help end plastic waste. As a planet, we must learn to work with nature rather than against it. And, put our efforts into finding innovative solutions that are created responsibly with resources that renew at a sustainable pace. We [will] continue to explore the possibilities in material innovation.”

The introduction of Mylo is a major step forward in our bold ambition to help end plastic waste. As a planet, we must learn to work with nature rather than against it. And, put our efforts into finding innovative solutions that are created responsibly with resources that renew at a sustainable pace

Amy Jones Vaterlaus, global head of Future at Adidas

VP of Product at Bolt Threads, Jamie Bainbridge, said: “By creating the iconic Stan Smith with a Mylo material upper, Adidas is demonstrating the far-reaching potential of this innovative material. Mylo has the strength and performance it does today thanks to the guidance and deep technical expertise of the Adidas team in making great footwear.”

Apart from this collaboration, Adidas recently partnered with Stella McCartney to launch an eco-friendly collection called ‘Futureplayground‘, featuring a high-performance yarn created with 50% recycled content and joined forces with a sustainable shoe brand, Allbirds to create a performance shoe that will have the lowest carbon footprint in the world.

The sportswear brand has even committed to expanding its plant-based portfolio and incorporating more and more sustainable materials across its products, targeting over 60% of its materials to come from recycled polyester or sustainably sourced cotton.

Stella McCartney, who was among those to partner with Bolt Threads, unveiled the world’s first mushroom-based garments – a black bustier top and utilitarian trousers.

In a recent study conducted by The Material Innovation Initiative (MII), 55% of U.S. consumers said that would prefer cruelty-free leather alternatives instead of animal leather and 73% didn’t mind experimenting with a lab-grown cell-based alternative.

The new vegan Stan Smith is not on sale yet, but you can find out more here.

Lead image courtesy of Adidas.