Specialty Fabrics Review May 2022 - 12

[ BRIEFS ] swatches
Natural leather and plastic alternative
E
covative, the mycelium technology company, has teamed with
Vivobarefoot, makers of sustainable footwear, and PANGAIA,
a materials science innovator. The trio will join the Fashion for
Good Cooperative to co-develop custom mycelium materials for
use in their respective footwear and fashion products.
Ecovative has already developed two products for the fashion
and footwear industries: Forager™ hides leather alternative, and
Forager foams, both made of pure mycelium. The mushroombased
leather alternative is growing in prominence within the
sector as companies turn from animal-derived materials. It takes
just nine days to grow full-size hides in sheets up to 24 meters in
length and 1.8 meters wide.
" Mycelium has the potential to replace petroleum-based foams
that are so commonplace in the footwear industry, " says Galahad
Clark, founder at Vivobarefoot. More than 20 billion pairs of shoes
are produced annually, with PVC and EVA accounting for roughly 35
percent of the materials involved. Ecovative's mycelium technology
makes it possible to grow sustainable, all-natural materials at
scale to replace plastic, styrofoam and leather.
Grown in only nine days, Forager pure mycelium
hides have naturally high tensile strength,
tear resistance, and durability equal to animal
leathers. Photo: Ecovative
Giving offenders a second chance
W
STI HR manager Sandra Jenkins stands in a storeroom
of the company's fabrics. Photo: Dustin George,
courtesy of The Shelby Star
hen Kings Mountain, N.C.-based textile maker STI introduced its
own brand of fabrics to the market, the business saw a boom in
demand. Since 2019, this growth has led to more than doubling
its workforce from 150 to 400 employees. As the need for workers grew,
STI turned to the nearby Gaston Correctional Center and its work
release program. Since the start of the partnership, some 40 inmates
have come to work at the plant, weaving and warping yarn, cleaning
facilities, preparing fabric and performing other duties needed around
the business. Inmates only work on first shift and must follow strict
rules to remain employed. A single infraction can take an inmate out
of the program, and it may take years to get back in.
Of the inmates sent to work at STI, 10 have since been released
from prison and come back to work full time at the plant.
While she never meant to play social worker and case worker for
her employees, STI HR manager Sandra Jenkins said she doesn't mind
doing whatever it takes to make them successful while out of prison.
" Having a support system from someone who is established in the
community or in the company is considered a priority, " she said. " And
to be clear I don't do the work for them. STI doesn't do the work for
them. I help them find what they need, but it is still on them to do it. "
12 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / May 2022
Specialty Fabrics Review May 2022

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