Muirhead, the Scottish Leather Group brand, today announces its role as a specialist material partner on DAY/DREAM, the new overnight rail interior concept from London-based transport and product design consultancy PriestmanGoode, unveiled at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin.
DAY/DREAM reimagines the overnight rail journey as a premium experience, transforming existing European rolling stock from daytime seating into overnight sleeping accommodation without the need for a dedicated sleeper fleet or new vehicle procurement.
Muirhead’s seat foam is specified for the cushions in the First-Class area and BioTAN leather on full seat and headrest applications in Business and Economy — providing the comfort, durability and finish required for a space that must perform equally well by day and by night.
Muirhead’s chrome-free hybrid-tanned leather, BioTAN is an advanced hybrid tanning technology, which progressively increases the use of bio‑based content within the chrome‑free leather process, enhancing the sustainability profile of the material while maintaining the durability, performance and aesthetic quality expected from Muirhead leather.
It builds on the fact that Muirhead’s leather already carries the lowest independently verified carbon footprint of any leather in the world, at 8kg CO₂ per square metre, meeting EN45545-2:2020+A1:2023 (requirement R21) at Hazard Level HL3, the fire safety standard for rail cabins, delivering the environmental credentials and safety performance long-distance operators require.
For DAY/DREAM’s First-Class experience, seating features Muirheads BioPRO® foam which is a patented, protein-based moulded foam utilising hydrolysed collagen, a natural by-product of Muirhead’s own circular leather manufacturing process.
Its protein content is chemically bonded into the foam structure, allowing it to naturally resist fire without the melamine, bromine, titanium phosphate, graphite or PFAS additives typically relied on in aviation and mass transportation seating.
BioPRO has also been independently tested and certified to EN 45545-2:2020+A1:2023 (requirement R21) at Hazard Levels HL1, HL2 and HL3, giving rail operators and OEMs a sustainable material option without compromising fire performance, durability or compliance.
Combining BioTAN leather with BioPRO foam allows Muirhead to offer PriestmanGoode a truly integrated seating solution. That vertical integration simplifies the supply chain and ensures a consistent, considered finish across DAY/DREAM, delivering the tactile, residential quality PriestmanGoode set out to achieve, while meeting the demanding performance and safety standards of a 24-hour operating cycle.
Muirhead’s leather is produced at its state-of-the-art tannery in Bridge of Weir, Scotland, the company leading the industry in sourcing locally while reclaiming energy from waste.
The BioPRO foam specified for DAY/DREAM is produced at Muirhead’s new dedicated 75,000 sq. ft facility in Glasgow, reopened in April 2026. Housed in Muirhead’s historic building with more than 150 years of leather industry heritage, the site was purpose-built to scale up BioPRO production for aviation, rail and bus/coach customers, bringing foam engineering, leather innovation and cover manufacturing expertise together within the one company.
Kevin Smith, Muirhead Mass Transit Director, commented: “DAY/DREAM asks a lot of its materials — they need to feel premium for a passenger relaxing in the lounge, and durable enough to withstand continuous day-and-night operation across a long-distance rail network. That is exactly the challenge our vertically integrated seating solution is built for.
“Muirhead leather is the lowest-carbon leather available anywhere in the world, our BioTAN innovation takes that philosophy a further step forward, while BioPRO brings the same ethos to foam, using our own manufacturing by-products to naturally resist fire without the chemical additives this sector has relied on until now. We’re proud to support a concept that shows sustainable, high-performance materials and genuine passenger comfort are not a trade-off.”
Also displayed on the Muirhead stand is a twin rail seat, designed by PriestmanGoode, created by TAPS and featuring Muirhead Thyme and Charcoal leather.
DAY/DREAM and the display twin rail seat are available to see at Muirhead’s stand 460G, Hall 2.2, located in the UK Pavilion at InnoTrans 2026, which runs from Sept 22-25.
Scottish Leather Group
Scottish Leather Group is the UK’s largest leather manufacturer. Its businesses innovate leather solutions for some of the best-known brands in automotive, aviation, mass transit, upholstery, luxury, and more. The company leads the industry in excelling in sustainability and technical excellence. Through its specialist businesses, Bridge of Weir, Lang and Muirhead, the Group leads the leather industry in the responsible and sustainable production of leather and serves the global automotive, aviation, bus, coach, rail, furniture, and consumer goods sectors.
Muirhead
Muirhead is a Scottish Leather Group business specialising in high-performance leather solutions for aviation, passenger transport, furniture and luxury goods interiors. The company is recognised for its technical innovation, material durability and commitment to responsible manufacturing. Its focus is on delivering consistent, engineered leather solutions that meet the long-term performance and regulatory demands of complex interior environments.
About PriestmanGoode
PriestmanGoode is a London-based multidisciplinary transport and product design consultancy. Founded in 1986, the consultancy works across rail, aviation, maritime and product design, with a track record spanning interior design, passenger experience, service design and innovation strategy.
Featured image credited to Muirhead
