"YiRu Bio" Partners with ANTA — ANTAZERO Designer Collaboration Now Available Nationwide | Linear Portfolio

Recently, ANTA Group partnered with internationally renowned fashion designer Kris Van Assche to launch the ANTAZERO X KRIS VAN ASSCHE debut collection, positioned as sustainable sportswear, now available in stores and on online retail platforms.

Notably, the collection extensively incorporates SynMetabio's mycelium mushroom leather Mulkol®, a material made from non-edible biomass through fermentation with specially selected strains to produce bio-based fibers. It features carbon-negative emissions properties, offering a genuinely environmentally friendly leather alternative that requires no harm to animals.

SynMetabio is among the first companies globally to achieve large-scale production of low-carbon bio-based leather. Currently, a single SynMetabio production line has an annual capacity of 6 million meters, with projected capacity reaching 20 million meters by 2026. Linear Capital led its angel round and has continued to invest in subsequent rounds.

The global leather goods market exceeds 1.5 trillion yuan. Within this massive market, the choices of industry giants precisely reflect the sector's demand for better, greener, and more cost-effective products.

Earlier, ANTA Group officially announced its collaboration with internationally renowned fashion designer Kris Van Assche to launch the ANTAZERO X KRIS VAN ASSCHE debut collection, positioned as sustainable sportswear. With sustainable innovation at its core, the collection deeply integrates haute couture aesthetics with ANTA's athletic DNA, committed to offering consumers new choices that combine performance, aesthetics, and environmental value.

Notably, the collection extensively features the mycelium mushroom leather Mulkol® from SynMetabio, a Linear Capital angel portfolio company, marking a significant step for ANTA in material innovation and sustainability storytelling.

ANTAZERO is ANTA's platform dedicated to driving sustainable development through environmentally innovative technology, covering multiple product lines including running, outdoor, and lifestyle, while actively promoting eco-friendly materials and low-carbon production technologies. In this collaboration, the platform specifically introduced SynMetabio's mycelium mushroom leather as a key innovative fabric, demonstrating its emphasis on cutting-edge bio-material applications.

For this ANTAZERO and Kris Van Assche co-creation series, ANTA established the sustainable foundation at the material and production level, while Kris applied his distinctive design language to integrate haute couture aesthetics into a sustainable vision. Together, they explored the design potential of vegan leather in sportswear, presenting new possibilities where environmental responsibility and quality coexist.

Particularly striking in the collection is the VEGAN LEATHER product line, whose main fabric is SynMetabio's mycelium mushroom leather Mulkol®. The material uses non-edible biomass (such as agricultural waste) as raw material, producing bio-based fibers through fermentation with specially selected strains. With carbon-negative emissions properties, it represents a truly environmentally friendly leather alternative that requires no harm to animals.

Now based in Paris, Kris Van Assche was born in Belgium and began his fashion career in the 1990s, subsequently leading design at multiple internationally renowned luxury brands. Over the past two decades, he has remained active in global fashion, art, and creative fields.

Speaking about this collaboration, Kris Van Assche said: "At this stage in my career, I'm more interested in collaborations with clear positioning and aligned goals. My intention is to create something new, beautiful, and more universal — to improve quality by learning new technologies and working within new constraints, exploring more scalable ways to achieve sustainability."

On November 21, the co-creation series held its launch event at Dover Street Market (DSM) Paris flagship, a leading global avant-garde boutique. This marks ANTA's entry into international fashion's inner circle through the fusion of sustainable innovation and global design talent, initiating direct dialogue with fashion industry professionals worldwide.

The collection is now available at the ANTAZERO Zero Carbon Mission Store (98 Wukang Road, Shanghai), select ANTA portfolio stores, and online retail platforms in China, with plans for international retail partnerships.

About SynMetabio

SynMetabio is among the first companies globally to achieve large-scale production of low-carbon bio-based leather. By producing bio-based leather raw materials, slurries, and finished leather products, it restructures the supply chain to drive innovation and transformation in the leather industry. It currently has two generations of bio-based leather products in mass production (Mulkol®-3 and Mulkol®-5), competing with synthetic leather and natural leather respectively. To date, a single SynMetabio production line has reached an annual capacity of 6 million meters, with projected capacity of 20 million meters by 2026, and has established asset-light partnerships with publicly listed companies.

*Cover and interior images from ANTAZERO, photographers include Alessio Bolzoni, Julien Martinez Leclerc, and others