Mirum-Tencel materials on show at Lineapelle
Wood-based cellulosic fibre developer Lenzing has announced that it will supply Tencel fibres for use as a backer material for Mirum, one of the materials that biotech start-up Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) has developed from renewable, natural raw materials.
The companies have chosen the Lineapelle exhibition in Milan (February 21-23) to showcase their partnership.
An early example of the materials that the combination of Mirum and Tencel can produce went into a shoe called Plant Pacer, which Allbirds released in 2022. The external layer of the upper is made from Mirum and the lining is Tencel.
“We believe that plant matter is the only material that can scale to replace plastic,” said NFW vice-president Oihana Elizalde. She added that combining the material with fabrics made of Tencel can enhance comfort and also increase transparency and traceability. The fibres are identifiable, verifiable and traceable through identification in place already at Lenzing.
In the build-up to Lineapelle, Birgit Schnetzlinger, head of business development for footwear at Lenzing, said: “We are confident that this versatile material will be loved by supply chain partners and brands across footwear, fashion apparel, accessories, furniture, and even automotive industries.”
