Using blockchain technology, state-of-the-art camera systems and world-renowned graphic designers, MNTGE is a digital wearables brand that brings the real-world heritage of vintage apparel to the virtual world.

We admit, we're not even sure what we just wrote, so here's how it essentially works. Sean Wotherspoon–owner of secondhand retailer Round Two, frequent adidas collaborator and fashion designer–is a collector of rare and iconic vintage clothing. He has an archive in California filled with over 4,000 pieces, each with their own unique story to tell, many of which no one will ever see, let alone wear. 

Now, imagine if you could own one of those items, but a digitized version, complete with the same wear and tear, stains and frays, discoloration and texture as the one that lives in the physical world. That’s MNTGE. 

“There is gonna be a future just like we see in the movies where there is a parallel universe, we're all living in a digital form, we might have secondary jobs...And you're going to need cool clothes to wear. We're just simply solving that problem way ahead of time.”

Alongside physical offerings and a full access membership program, MNTGE is bringing the best parts of vintage clothing to the virtual world, encouraging people to become more conscious, community-driven consumers by buying secondhand.

“Our only way to meet what is going to be the future of customer demand is putting it through this digital program. We're going to be able to catalog hundreds of thousands of styles on a phone.”

“We're looking at this as a cohesive community project, where we want to entertain you, we want to teach you, and we want you to onboard and feel like you are part of a product.”

We had the pleasure of sitting down with these three innovators, to talk about their journey, how MNTGE came about, what MNTGE is exactly, and what I can be. 

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If you’ve visited the digital pages of FUTUREVVORD at all over the past two years, you’ve likely read about a mushroom leather product–a coat, a bag, or a pair of sneakers. “Mushroom leather,” however, is a bit of an oversimplification; it’s more accurately a mycelium-based material. 

Mycelium is the underground, root-like structure of mushrooms that lives and feeds off of other organic matter. Under the right, lab-controlled conditions, mycelium can be grown into sheets that can mimic the look, feel and durability of animal-derived leather. 

For MycoWorks, this creation is called Reishi. 

MycoWorks, soon to turn 10 years old, has grown alongside its flagship material. In the time we’ve launched FUTUREVVORLD nearly two years ago, we’ve seen MycoWorks collaborate with the likes of luxury fashion house Hermès, designer Heron Preston, milliner Nick Fouquet, and most recently automaker General Motors, where the two are exploring the possibilities of using mycelium leather in our cars. 

In our interview with Philip we talk about how MycoWorks found its beginning in the art world, particularly sculpture by Mr. Ross himself, how Reishi is changing industries, the power of collaboration and storytelling in changing those aforesaid industries, what’s next for MycoWorks, and so much more. 

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Haverhals is the CEO and Founder of NFW (Natural Fiber Welding), known for its revolutionary plant-based materials MIRUM® and CLARUS®, and used by the likes of Camper and Pangaia. At NFW, if it ain’t 100 percent it ain’t good enough. If you take a look at the materials that it produces, you won’t find a drop of petrol or toxic chemicals anywhere. Whereas some companies may mix plastic-based materials with plant-based ones, NFW is 100 percent plastic free.

We sat down with Haverhals for a very interesting chat that moved from the efficiencies of engineered materials (a roll of MIRUM is much more efficient than an irregular shaped cow hide) to the hard economic truths of next-gen material production, and how to be “compatible with the Earth.”

Haverhals and Daniel Navetta, FVV’s Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, also talked about what real transparency and traceability looks like. Humanity is “destined to end in tragedy [if we’re not] truthful and holistic about how we measure and discuss our impact,” says Haverhals. “And that’s something that’s not happening well in our world right now.”

The big issue of scalability was also tackled. “If you want to change the world, you've got to get thousands of brands, including the biggest brands in the world, to show up to your place of business,” says Haverhals. You’ve got to go all in. And if the problem you’re facing is as destructive as the climate crisis, your solutions better be moonshot in ambition.

“When you look at the 2050, 2030 climate goals, human rights goals, those things will not happen with people who simply do incremental tinkering on the current system. It requires radical vision and disruption of the current system. Not every part of the system, but certain parts cannot stay the same and should not be recognizable by 2050.”

Plenty more fascinating subjects are addressed, including why we should think about materials as nutrients for the Earth. It’s tasty stuff.

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Piñatex is the exciting plant-based leather alternative made from waste pineapple leaves. But don’t just think of it as a leather alternative. Dr. Hijosa prefers to see it as its own thing.

“I don’t even like to compare it with [leather] because it’s a new material,” she said. “Of course it’s not like leather. Forget about leather!” 

And Dr. Hijosa knows leather. She worked with it for 15 years before making the transition to plant-based textiles. She also knows that Piñatex passes all the performance tests. If it didn’t, the likes of Nike and Saucony wouldn't use it.

Both brands have collaborated with Ananas Anam. In May, we reported on Saucony giving its Jazz Court sneaker a pineapple-fresh update. It’s also worth checking out Nike’s "Happy Pineapple" collection which reimagined such classics as the Air Force 1, Air Max 95 and Air Max 90.

Dr. Hijosa talked about her love of sneakers in her chat with FVV’s Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief Daniel Navetta. They also talked about the challenges of upscaling, the power of a good collaboration, and the problem of greenwashing in the industry. 

But it seems like the real joy that Dr. Hijosa gets from her work, is the positive impact it’s having on the people who make it, as well as the planet that it’s sourced from. 

“We know everybody in our supply chain. We know where the fibers come from. We know the farmers. This is a privilege. For a big company, it's impossible to understand [their entire] supply chain.” 

Collaborating with the likes of Nike not only brings Ananas Anam status but also helps it grow steadily. And that growth helps communities and families around the world, like in the Philippines where Annas Anam works. We hope that Piñatex continues to grow because it’s a truly awesome material and Dr. Hijosa is a truly inspirational human. 

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Dr. Parkes is the scientific and strategic driving force behind PANAGAIA, a brand that we’ve highlighted several times on FUTUREVVORLD. Its collection of colorful wardrobe basics are not as basic as they seem. Lift the lid and you’ll find biodegradable sweat suits made from eucalyptus plants, accessories made from a mushroom leather alternative, and sunglasses made from carbon dioxide.

With a background in computer and material science plus a wealth of art and design experience, Dr. Parkes operates in an interesting space. Her role as Chief Innovation Officer means she oversees how the company sources materials and which projects it invests in.

In this interview, she discusses what she calls the “valley of death” between the research lab and the commercial fashion industry, and how PANAGAIA acts as a bridge over that gap. She also gives us her thoughts on regulations in the sustainability industry, coming into fashion through the back door, and what we’re getting wrong about microplastics.

Sustainability is not about finding one perfect solution. It’s about progress. The only competition for brands should be the materials and processes that are harmful to our planet. “In the same way that nature functions best when you have biodiversity, we really see that in the same way for the material ecology and economy of our brand,” says Dr. Parkes.

Sit back and enjoy our conversation with the wonderfully insight Dr. Amanda Parkes.

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Kirkum is a footwear designer like no other. Her London-based studio produces handmade, bespoke sneakers made from secondhand and vintage kicks. Customers can send in treasured old pairs and have them transformed into a made-to-order one-off. She first caught our attention when she partnered with adidas to create a collection of recycled sneakers modeled on the Campus 80. Since then, she’s been growing and growing.

During the conversation Kirkum talked about the difficulties of working with recycled materials, her relationship with Virgil Abloh, her thoughts on what a sneaker utopia might look like, and much, much more.

We of course got onto the hot and hypey topic of ‘sustainability’ and the overwhelming nature of that loaded word. Her advice to brands? “Don’t bullshit the situation” and be honest about your product and your process. We couldn’t agree more.

Kick your feet up and enjoy our conversation with the talented Helen Kirkum.

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Last year, there were a lot of great examples that showcased the progress the footwear industry has made in becoming more environmentally responsible. Of course, consuming and producing more product takes the industry away from being truly sustainable, but the efforts are there, and we’re happy to see them. And excited for what’s to come!

So for those looking to buy better, or those that are just curious about the progression of footwear, listen in to this episode. We'll list out our favorite pairs from last year and explain our rationale behind each choice. Of course, you have to see it to believe it, so head over to our website to see the full list. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Liedtke opens up about his time at adidas, where he helped bring to life high-profile partnerships with the likes of Kanye West and Beyoncé. Since departing the Three Stripes in 2019, Liedtke has set his sights on building a more sustainable streetwear industry, starting with his newly launched brand UNLESS Collective. UNLESS is a plant-based, zero waste clothing company striving to be a "regenerative force for good."

"UNLESS is for everyone who feels strongly that what they wear says a lot about who they are and who doesn’t want to compromise their style to do what’s right for the planet.  We leave nothing and no one behind."

Sit back and listen to Daniel and Eric chop it up about the future of streetwear, and how we're going to get there. 

 If you enjoyed this episode, or any of our episodes, please subscribe, rate us and leave a comment. It would be greatly appreciated.

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Guests include Alan Mak, Founder of Version Tomorrow and Managing Partner at Public School; Jacob Hanna, the Development and E-commerce Special Projects Lead at Goodwill Southern California; and Brice Partouche, Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Satisfy Running. 

Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed this episode, or any of our episodes, please be sure to subscribe, rate and comment. It would be greatly appreciated.

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The hosts are first joined by Sarah Archibald, a Senior Program Manager at PUR Projet, and then Luke Smith, the CEO at Terra Genesis International, each offering a unique perspective on regenerative agriculture. 

A special thank you to Timberland for helping us produce this episode

Thank you for tuning in.

The hosts are joined by Nicole Rawling, the Co-Founder and CEO of the Material Innovation Initiative, to learn about the past, present and future of materials. Then, Daniel speaks with both David Breslauer, the Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Bolt threads, and Libby Sommer, the Director of Corporate Responsibility, where we learned about the challenges these next-gen material companies are facing. 

Thank you for tuning in.

To learn more about next-gen materials and the innovations that are currently happening in fashion, footwear and design, head over to futurevvorld.com, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram. 

The hosts are joined by: Transnomadica and Atelier & Repairs founder Maurizio Donadi; artist and Common Ace co-founder Sophia Chang; founder and lead designer of Space Available, Daniel Mitchell; and stylist-slash-creative consultant Rachael Wang. These guests talk about the benefits -- both for people and the planet -- of selecting and extending the life of well-made clothes. Listeners are also encouraged to think about the end-life of their clothes and the options that exist for recycling and repurposing.

A special thank you to Timberland and its GreenStride collection for helping us get this series off the ground. 

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Bob discuss the founding of FUTUREVVORLD -- what it is, why it exists, and what to expect. Then, Daniel interviews Dune Ives about Lonely Whale’s work encouraging people to take care of the world’s oceans and how to maintain a positive attitude in the face of eco-anxiety. Daniel also interviews George McPherson about his work advising fashion brands; George reflects about changing attitudes in the business of fashion and the increasing number of companies making supply chain decisions with the environment in mind. 

A special thank you to Timberland and its GreenStride collection for helping us get this series off the ground. 

Daniel interviews Dune Ives about Lonely Whale’s work encouraging people to take care of the world’s oceans and how to maintain a positive attitude in the face of eco-anxiety. Daniel also interviews George McPherson about his work advising fashion brands; George reflects about changing attitudes in the business of fashion and the increasing number of companies making supply chain decisions with the environment in mind.