MRBAILEY x adidas

Branded mycelium box / Source: MRBAILEY

CelluloseCorkEuropeForager FoamHempLeatherMyceliumMycoCompositeOceaniaPackagingPaperTextiles

5 MINUTE READ

Nate Tyler

WHAT WE SAY:

What happens when biomimetic design and footwear meet? Jellyfish-inspired sneakers presented in a mycelium box, of course. The black, sculptural sneakers were designed as a collaboration between designer MrBailey and footwear titan adidas, with the box serving as a conceptual cherry on top.

Mycelium is an incredible nutrient material, but this use case sees it housing a pair of plastic-heavy shoes, a somewhat unnecessary bioplastic bag and an NFC chip which will need to be dug out prior to composting. This is not quite the holistic system change we’d like to see, however a brand like adidas embracing mycelium shows that circular, nature-focused solutions are truly cutting through the noise, and that’s a small win to run with.

KEY FACTS:

adidas and MrBailey, the designer behind Concept Kicks, collaborated on the Ozlucent, a new conceptual pair of sneakers.
Inspired by the lifecycle of the Aurelia Aurita jellyfish, the collaboration sought to “look to nature and its design system, and build upon them with our current technologies.”
The Ozlucent was manufactured in a limited run of just 60 pairs, which were given out to “specific citizens” that the designer felt shared similar style sensibilities.
The shoes contain a variety of fossil fuel-based materials such as neoprene and PU.
The ‘inflated amniotic sac’ they are protected by is made from a sugarcane-based bioplastic, manufactured by Sydney-based packaging company Grounded, which can be composted industrially or at home.
The Mycelium box is the final layer. It was custom grown by the Magical Mushroom Company using agricultural waste - primarily Hemp - to encase the sac, and is embossed with adidas and MrBailey branding.
If broken apart, the box can decompose within 45 days within a home compost environment. Alternatively, if kept in dry conditions, it can be reused for up to 30 years.
The box contains a hidden NFC chip, allowing consumers to scan the box with a phone to explore the inspiration behind the collaboration. It is very likely this is not compostable and therefore will need to be removed before the box is added to compost

An inflated ‘amniotic sac’ / Source: Magic Mushroom Company

Magical Mushroom Company factory / Source: Magical Mushroom Company

DIVE DEEPER:

Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are manufactured each year and shrink wrapping with plastic is becoming an increasingly popular way to preserve limited edition styles among 'sneakerheads.' This collaboration seeks to protect shoes using nature-based materials instead.
MrBailey partnered with London-based design agency Black Ink Projects, which has worked with companies, including Humanrace and Victoria Beckham, to develop the natural packaging. The agency brought both Grounded and the Magical Mushroom Company (MMC) on board.
The so-called amniotic sac is a bioplastic manufactured from cellulose and sugarcane. Grounded claims it is completely compostable in both home and industrial compost conditions and it is certified by bodies such as ABA and OK Compost. However, unlike a biomaterial, bioplastics do not provide nutrients to the soil.
The mycelium box replaces the traditional cardboard box which is a popular choice for footwear packaging. Recyclable and renewable, cardboard is a superior choice to plastic, however it does not come without an impact. It takes an estimated 12 trees to make a tonne of cardboard, and three billion trees are cut down each year to make paper-based packaging like boxes.
As a result, brands including Puma and Nike have sought to reduce the intensity of their packaging with recycled cardboard and shoe boxes which double up as delivery boxes.
Mycelium can be grown using biological waste including sawdust, Cork and Hemp, which is what MMC utilises in 98% of its products. The company claims hemp sequesters CO2 at a rate of approximately 15 tonnes per hectare.
MMC is headquartered in Surrey, UK. It is the exclusive UK and EU licence holder of mycelium packaging using technology developed by Ecovative — the US company that pioneered mycelium products, such as packaging, Foam and Leather alternatives.
While the sneakers may be limited to a run of 60, the mycelium packaging is not. MMC has produced 500,000 pieces of packaging since launch across its four UK and Bulgaria-based factories.
The mycelium grows in just six days, including kiln drying and by the end of 2022, production capacity will reach 200,000 units per week.

"A fully biodegradable product was made in a matter of days - creating a large box with an extra strong 10 inch lid to protect the adidas Originals."

Magical Mushroom Company

Key Design Considerations:

Ditch the chip

Integrated tech elevates customer experience. However, QR codes regained popularity throughout the pandemic, so ask whether you could simply print or emboss a QR code rather than embedding a chip, which uses extra resources and will need to be removed before disposal.

Packaging and product need to work together

If a product is still mainly made from fossil fuels, there is only so much good a new, biomaterial box can do. Embracing a plastic-free approach for both product and packaging will have a far greater impact on ending our reliance on plastic.

You do not always need to reinvent the wheel

This project is conceptual, so exploring alternative materials makes sense. However, replacing a tissue Paper lining with a bioplastic bag could result in a bigger overall impact for a mass produced product, so ensure your decisions are data-based rather than aesthetics-based.

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MRBAILEY x adidas

WHAT WE SAY:

What happens when biomimetic design and footwear meet? Jellyfish-inspired sneakers presented in a mycelium box, of course. The black, sculptural sneakers were designed as a collaboration between designer MrBailey and footwear titan adidas, with the box serving as a conceptual cherry on top.

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are manufactured each year and shrink wrapping with plastic is becoming an increasingly popular way to preserve limited edition styles among 'sneakerheads.' This collaboration seeks to protect shoes using nature-based materials instead.

MrBailey partnered with London-based design agency Black Ink Projects, which has worked with companies, including Humanrace and Victoria Beckham, to develop the natural packaging. The agency brought both Grounded and the Magical Mushroom Company (MMC) on board.

As a result, brands including Puma and Nike have sought to reduce the intensity of their packaging with recycled cardboard and shoe boxes which double up as delivery boxes.

Mycelium can be grown using biological waste including sawdust, Cork and Hemp, which is what MMC utilises in 98% of its products. The company claims hemp sequesters CO2 at a rate of approximately 15 tonnes per hectare.

MMC is headquartered in Surrey, UK. It is the exclusive UK and EU licence holder of mycelium packaging using technology developed by Ecovative — the US company that pioneered mycelium products, such as packaging, Foam and Leather alternatives.