Spiders aren’t normally something we’d want around our necks—or anywhere near our bodies, for that matter. Spiders are meant to keep peace in the ecosystem and to stay far, far away from our faces. Materials science startup Bolt Threads wants to change that.
The brand’s latest innovation: A tie made of engineered spider silk, according to a report by TechCrunch. Fret not—the tie doesn’t actually involve spiders. True spider silk is one of the softest fabrics in the world, but it’s crazy difficult to create. You can only get so much silk from the arachnid before they start eating each other. Nothing says fashion like spider cannibalism.
So instead of actual spider silk, Bolt replicated the feel and look the material produces. It took the brand seven years in the lab to develop the perfect product, the report says. The end result: A necktie is engineered from sugar, water, salts, and yeast. (According to Bolt, yeast produces silk protein during fermentation.) The process is eco-friendly too; Bolt uses plant sugar to power the production, where many brands use petroleum.
The limited-edition line is launching this weekend at South by Southwest. Only 50 of the ties were made, and each retail for $314. There’s a lottery to apply for one (boltthreads.com), which ends on March 14.
But the small quantity is just the beginning. Last year, the tech brand announced a partnership with outdoor mainstay Patagonia. What’s next? Spider silk jackets, beanies, sleeping bags? On second though, we’re not sold on the idea of sleeping in a bag so closely tied to spiders. Maybe later.
Source: Men’s Health
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