bolt threads spins ties from bioengineered spider silk

bolt threads’ unisex tie looks chic, soft, and more like it’s come straight out of a vogue lookbook than a bay-area laboratory. it’s fair to say that the design looks not one bit like it’s been spun from the very same thread that spiders use to make cobwebs, and the sleek design is intended to show that this nature-inspired fabric is no longer limited to the confines of high tech labs. made from 100 percent boltspun spider silk, the slick necktie takes the impressive title as the first spider silk product ever available for purchase.

scientists and bioengineers alike have long been interested in the properties of spider silk, which although finely spun and delicate-looking, can hold its own in a strength test against steel and kevlar—that’s the material used to make bullet-proof vests. rather than comissioning arachnids to spin the fabric day and night, bolt threads started out by studying real spiders’ silk and it’s DNA make-up, to learn how to synthetically reproduce the thread in a lab.

bolt threads’ successfully managed to copy the genetic sequence of natural spider silk and grow the material using primarily a mix of sugar, water, salts and yeast. the yeast produces silk protein in a liquid form, which is then spun into a fiber. the final process is the culmination of over 200 years of research and design, so a sleek-looking tie is a significant choice of garment to mark the transition of spiders’ silk from an ‘in-progress’ experiment to a usable material. 

the all-natural process is a sustainable way to produce natural, breathable, and stronger materials to use in the future. bolt have already partnered with patagonia, to harness the power of spider silk into activewear. compared to polyesters made from petroleum-derived fibers, spiders silk is made from sugar from plants that can be grown, harvested and replanted, forming a healthy cycle. 

bolt threads will release 50 of their limited edition spider silk neckties, which will be distributed via a lottery on their website. those who are lucky enough to win will be able to purchase a boltspun silk tie for $314 each, as one of the first spider-silk garment ever to become commercially available.