Allbirds has yet to pull a Nike and leak photos to sneaker blogs to show everyone what their upcoming “leather” sneaker will look like, but as their IPO prepares to launch, I’m finding more reasons to be optimistic about the brand. The company Natural Fiber Welding is the creator of a material named Mirum. Allbirds currently has the license to produce footwear using the material, making Allbirds the leader in possibly having the most sustainable shoes in the world, especially if they can build the shoes in the U.S. (That’s a big ask).
This post is to show you a new handbag from Modher using Mirum. There is also another product that uses Mirum available, the Wooly PDX wallet. The texture is a bit more grainy on the wallet. This means that Mirum has the ability to possibly function more like animal leather than any of the other cactus or pineapple leathers on the market. Many of those products tend to be shiny and lack depth. There is a reason for this issue with other vegan leathers. Most of the other products like Desserto, utilize PU to bond the materials in those “vegan” options. I use quotes here, because if those “leather” options use PU, they are still harmful to the environment. Mirum is 100% bio/plant based, which makes the following picture even more impressive and a great sign for Allbirds.
Modher purses and Wooly Plant based wallets finally gives those interested in Natural Fiber Welding, a chance to tangibly see how Mirum plant based leather could look on a sneaker. I didn’t imagine a bio based plant leather could have such varying degrees of textures. As Allbirds begins to work on launching a new segment of footwear, it will be interesting to see what style develops.
Plant Wallets (woollymade.com)
How MODHER Created a Vegan Leather Handbag — With Zero Plastic