These Shoes Are Made From Mushrooms – Yes, Really

When it comes to fashion waste, footwear is one of the biggest culprits. Each year, more than 23 billion pairs of shoes are produced globally, with more than 90 per cent ending up in landfill.

Perth-based brand Make Good is tackling the problem from the ground up – literally. The secret ingredient? Mushrooms. Founded by podiatrist Paul Griffin, the label uses mycelium fibres – the root-like structure of fungi – to create the upper of its classic derby shoe.

“Mycelium has been on our radar for ages,” Griffin says. “The biomimicry aspect is what really drew me in. Nature already creates incredible fibre structures that we simply can’t replicate, and we wanted to leverage off this as much as possible.”

Most leather alternatives, like PU or PVC, are essentially plastic. Even Pinatex, a revolutionary vegan leather made from pineapple leaves, is not 100 per cent plastic-free, containing polylactic acid and petroleum-based resin. (Aussie footwear label Twoobs created a limited-release collection of sandals with the pineapple leather.)

Mycelium, on the other hand, “could perform without that plastic compromise,” Griffin says. It’s what he refers to as “next-gen” materials made from renewable sources. Mycelium fibres, cellulose, natural latex and organic cotton form the shoe’s upper, bound with water-based glue. The mycelium is grown and lab-tested in Vietnam in a net-zero facility, where it’s compressed into a sheet. It then goes off to China for assembly before landing in Perth – a process that takes about a month, end-to-end.

“One of the most important things about this material is that there is no plastic substrate, [which is] unheard of in vegan leathers until now.” Griffin says. “It’s been engineered and tested to sit within the same performance window as leather, which means designers can build structured shoes like the Derby without compromising durability.”

Creating the plant-based material – which is yet to be trademarked – took three and a half years of trial and error. Griffin worked with footwear manufacturing expert John Prescott – whose CV includes Asics, Nike and Puma – to develop and refine the material.

“We worked with this one group, evolving prototype after prototype, mainly because certified biodegradability was so important to us,” Griffin says. “Developing the material is one thing, but making shoes from it was a next-level challenge.”

He estimates there were 30 iterations before landing on the current form. Of the first sample, he says, “I remember picking it up, and my fingers just went through it. Our factory had to learn from scratch because it behaves differently to leather.”

While most parts of the derby are certified biodegradable, the shoe is not yet 100 per cent biodegradable. The sole is 51 per cent natural rubber and other aspects, like cotton laces, cellulose aglets, plus stitching, are important considerations. 

Though this first product is commercially viable, it remains a work in progress. “It will change again as the materials evolve and get better, and the [consumer] behaviour changes,” Griffin says. “We need to wait for these materials to get up to the point where consumers will have the confidence in using them without [thinking they will wear] down too quickly.”

As part of its end-of-life vision, Make Good encourages customers to send an email when their shoes have worn out, and receive a discount code for a new pair. When those arrive, the old ones are sent back in the same box, to be passed on to a recycling facility. “We want people to be able to dispose of their shoes and not have guilt,” Griffin says.

In the future, Make Good may expand to include different styles. For now, Griffin is focused on mastering the material and developing brand recognition and trust.

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@wearmakegood