Sustainable fabrics get a new spin with spider silk
Secreted by spiders’ silk glands, these silk threads are not originally used to make clothes, but to allow these small hairy creatures to move around, build their homes, or create traps for their prey. Two companies, Bolt Threads and AMSilk, have both succeeded in producing lab-made silk inspired by that made by spiders. With Microsilk, Bolt Threads has already partnered with Stella McCartney and adidas to design a tennis dress from this next-generation silk, while AMSilk, with its Biosteel Fiber, is already behind several garments, shoes and accessories. Even more impressive, The North Face has put Spiber’s innovative silk to use in making an entire down jacket, the Moon Parka.