textiles

Referring to their technology as “the first real fabric innovation in decades,” Bolt Threads has announced they have raised $40 million in funding. The company was founded in 2009 to study spider silk and innovate ways to make it even better. What they found is that there are over 240,000 different types of spider silk. The silk is constructed of proteins; it is the slight variations in these proteins and the protein structures which result in the unique properties of the different variations. Bolt Threads discovered that by utilizing the proteins from yeast, one can manufacture “natural” silk and program the fabric to have properties of your choosing. The lab-created silk can behave like a technical fabric, be waterproof, stretchy like spandex, or soft like cotton. The idea is pretty novel, a natural fabric that can take on almost any property you would like. There are no synthetic substances involved and since yeast is extremely renewable, no stress is placed on the environment. Bolt Fabrics is already working with the textile industry to incorporate the fabric into garments, partnering with a manufacturer in North Carolina. It will be interesting to see if this new fabric has the ability to catch on in the manufacturing realm. A lot will have to do with pricing, availability, color fasting, and durability. Head past the break for a video explaining more about the innovative work being done at Bolt Fabrics.