An American company Bolt Treads is launching neckties made of spider silk. Bolt Threads was founded in 2009 out of a curiosity about natural spider silk and the idea of engineering novel protein materials. Through its proprietary technology, the company has developed a way to closely mimic silk created in nature for mass commercial production, pioneering more sustainable and non-toxic processes for textile manufacturing.
The unisex tie is 100 per cent spider silk made by humans. It is the culmination of seven years and over 200 person-years of research and design, and embodies the company's mission to produce sustainable performance fabrics for commercial use.
Spider silk’s qualities are nearly mythical. Its tensile strength is comparable to steel’s. Yet it is lighter and can be as stretchy as a rubber band. A real spider generates silk in specialized glands in its abdomen, and creates the silk strands using a spinning organ called a spinneret. Synthetic spider silk could be used for everything from automobile parts to medical devices to performance outdoor gear.
Bolt Threads, a biotechnology company, is creating the next generation of performance fibers and fabrics using proprietary breakthroughs in industrial biotechnology. Working at the molecular level, Bolt Threads will transform the textiles market, turning renewable raw materials into products with outstanding properties that meet specific consumer needs.
