Spider-web fabric

The first fabric made from spider webs. Its looks are very similar to silk; it is elastic like nylon and thirty times more resistant than Kevlar.
For many years researchers in the field of textiles have tried to combine the DNA of a very rare species of spiders, the Nephile Clavipes, with other organism, in order to obtain an organic material with the characteristics of spider webs: lightness, elasticity, and resistance. Until today results have not been very significant.

The alternative solution that was found is that of working directly on the spider webs. Though, technologically speaking, it is not as simple as it appears.

Corpo Nove, in partnership with University of California and Grado Zero Espace, has created the first fabric in the world made from the mechanical weaving of spider webs, utilizing the most advanced technologies in the field of textiles.

In the last century spider webs were found in the Solomon Islands to weave bags and fishing nets. The technique that was used then was completely manual. The process that has been brought by Corpo Nove is instead totally mechanical.

As an experiment by Dr. Cheryl Hayashi, spiders from the Nephila Clavipes species were purposely brought up in laboratories, producing their exceptional and precious web. And it was from this testing that researches were able to further develop and experiment the weaving technologies.
This fiber is a revolutionary step. It is a natural fiber, just like wool and silk, but its technical performance overpass any technical material that can be found on the market today. 

Via Corpo Nove, Grado Zero Espace