Issue #19: The 411 on pink capsules 💫, stay sane while visiting family 🛫, and is your collagen kinda sketchy?

Conscious News to Obsess Over

😯 Collagen is currently being investigated for causing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest 

👟 After selling out almost immediately, the Reformation x VEJA sneaker is finally back in stock! Quick, before it’s gone.

💧One more reason to hop on the non-toxic bandwagon. PFAs (aka forever chemicals) are contaminating drinking water once again

🎀 Put a ribbon on it. Rothy’s just upgraded their best-selling comfy + sustainable flat– just another gift idea for anyone who needs it!

Things to Gift: TSA-Approved Travel Capsules

Travel nightmares, who? Certainly not us, at least, not anymore. One thing every seasoned traveler knows is that fitting your entire 7-step skincare routine into a small toiletry bag is quite the conundrum. Enter Cadence. Because no one needs the stress of having TSA confiscate your favorite moisturizer.

Cadence Capsules are cute little magnetic containers for all your personal care items and are so personalizable that they’ve somehow become THE go-to gift idea— perfect for even the 3-in-1 shampoo guy you know. Pack your medication, sunscreen (buh-bye dark spots), and even loose candy (if you’re entering your grandma era) in a customized Cadence Capsule. Now available in a dreamy pink.

The Future of Alternative Materials in Fashion: A Mushroom-Leather Birkin

$457 million. That’s the amount raised by alternative material startups in 2022 that set out to develop substitute textiles. After what seems like years of backlash, the fashion industry has fully begun to live that sustainable textile lifestyle: 

• Adidas is replacing virgin polyester with recycled resources

• Timberland is sourcing materials from regenerative farms

• Ganni is phasing out animal leather entirely

But amongst all these, a brand that really makes us say “Wow didn’t see that coming” is luxury giant Hermès.

Hermès recently began working with MycoWorks, a California start-up and one of the leading producers of mushroom-based leather. That’s right, your next Birkin (the one in your dreams counts too) may be made of mushrooms! So what is there to know about mushroom leather? We’re here to answer your rapid-fire FAQs!

• 🤠 What’s wrong with regular leather? Raw material production accounts for 38% of the fashion industry's total emissions, equivalent to about 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018. Plus, deforestation in the Amazon has been linked to cattle ranching.

• 💫 How do you make it? Inside their small factory in Emeryville, California, MycoWorks uses trays filled with sawdust to grow their mycelium (the root-like part of mushrooms) and create leather (check out the play-by-play)

• 👜What’s wrong with all the vegan leathers already on the market? Most vegan leathers on the market are made from plastic like PVC (even “pleather” is just an abbreviation for “plastic leather”) and we probably don’t have to tell you why plastic isn’t a favorable choice. 

• 🐄 Does it last as long as animal leather? Yes! It’s equally if not more durable, it’s even more biodegradable, and the creation process is shorter (you don’t have to wait for a whole cow to be born)

And there you have it, everything you need to know about mushroom leather, but if you’re still curious…