When it comes to imagination and creativity, we humans are driven to push it to the limits. Spider silk fabric seemed like a fantasy that lay on the border of the impossible. But humans have achieved it with relentless urge to create something new.
Spider silk is widely regarded as one of nature’s most remarkable materials. There are several types of spider silk. Some silks are sticky — used for trapping prey. Some silk is for making structures. Some are for making egg sacs.
But for making fabric, major ampullate silk (commonly known as dragline silk) is perfect. A single spider can produce different types of silk for different purposes. It is one of the most fascinating biological materials, A unique combination of high tensile strength and extraordinary elasticity.
Let’s meet first, we are Team Muslin Dhaka. We are a passionate group of fashion designers, fabric experts, and marketers. Muslin Dhaka focuses primarily on luxurious and exotic natural fabrics & fashions. So you can expect to get an expert presentation on spider silk fiber, spinning & fabrics.
In this article, we will cover the basics of spider silk fabrics. Let’s start.
What is Spider Silk Fabric?
Spider silk fabric is a fabric that is made of a specific kind of spider silk. In this process, the spider is milked or silked, and the spider silk fiber is collected. Yarn is made with spider silk and woven in fabrics. Spider silk protein is one of the wonders of nature. Synthetic or lab-grown spider silk has been developed in research and for limited applications.
The process is so time-consuming and complicated. Only a few experimental spider silk fabrics have ever been made. It’s hard to discuss broadly. That only fabric that becomes essential for our knowledge. We will dive deep into the fascinating story of making spider silk fabrics using specialized reeling machines. But before that, let’s explore the history and our relations with spiders and golden silk.
What is the History of spider silk thread & fabric?
Humans have always been very curious about spiders. In many parts of the world, spiders were regarded as mythical and mystical creatures. They are found in cave paintings and fairy tales.
Throughout history, we have tried a million times to make some good use of spider silk. But that remained a part of our fantasy. The superhero character Spiderman emphasizes a modernized version of those fantasies.
However, not all attempts were failed. Greek and Roman warriors used to sew their wounds with spider silk due to its natural biocompatibility. This history fascinates me a lot. It means humans knew the technique to harvest spider silk and make viable yarn that could be used for treating wounds.
Humans used spider silk in other ways too. In the Solomon Islands, Indigenous people found a way to catch needlefish by collecting spider webs. The mouth of the needlefish is too small for a hook. The indigenous people tie the spider web in a line. They use a kite to catch fish from a distance and make the silk float like a worm.
17th Century
People also tried to make spider silk fabric but it was never successful. In the 1700s a French naturalist named Bon de Saint Hilaire tried to make spider silk gloves and stockings. He found some spider egg sacks in his neighbor’s house. He brought them, thinking he could make clothes with them and impress the king. He thought spider silk could make better fabrics than silkworms. When he presented the gloves, the king was embarrassed as they weren’t good enough for royal use.
18th Century
French people did not stop trying. In the 1800s a Jesuit missionary named Paul Camboué tried to make a spider farm in Madagascar. He noticed the silk from the golden orb weaver (Nephila pilipes) is very strong and usable for making fabric.
He hired Malagasy girls to collect the spiders and weave fabrics. He also invented the guillotine machine to collect spider silk from the spider silk glands. They made small spider silk fabric but the farm did not work at all.
Spiders are cannibals. When kept together, they eat each other and only the largest ones remain alive. So they were nowhere close to making a spider silk fabric on a commercial scale.
Around 2012, a proper cloth was possible to make with golden orb spider silk. But at what cost? Let’s learn about them in the next section.
The Golden Orb Spider Cape
Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley were two innovative fabric experts who were courageous and dreamers enough to make spider silk fabric. From history, they knew which spider species would be best for the task. It is the golden orb weaver spider of Madagascar. They also used the similar machine to Paul Camboué.
Every morning, 80 people went to the jungle of Madagascar to find the spider. One person could take about 24 spiders. If all 80 people found 24 golden orbs, that’s 1920 spiders a day! However, not every day was the same.
They brought back the spiders to the camp as soon as possible. The silk was collected from the spiders. One spider could make about 50 meters of silk. The process required 25 minutes for each spider. So you can imagine how hard it was just to collect the spider silk.
1.2 million spiders are required to make the cape. Don’t worry, all the spiders were released after harvesting the silk. The silk collecting process required 4 years, and together they required 8 years to develop the fabric.
Once the silk was collected, yarn was made from it and stored for weaving the cloth.
What are the features of Golden Spider Silk Cape?
Golden orb weaver spiders make silk with a rich golden tone. When the fabric is made, the color looks lustrous without the use of synthetic dyes.
The cape seems like it’s made with magical golden strings. The amount of hardship and struggle that comes with the fabric, it’s certainly worth many times more than gold.
The golden spider orb silk cape is light, smooth, and very strong possessing high tensile strength. It’s a brocade fabric with beautiful spiders and native art styles of Madagascar. The masterpiece was displayed in different museums including London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Now if you want to see the real fabric in your own eyes, you have to visit Doha, Qatar, Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).
Curators at the Museum of Islamic Art (on the rare 2024 exhibition) quoted,
“There is no precedent for spider silk textiles on this scale, either for the technical complexity, or for the quality of silk used… it requires from 600 to 1,000 spiders to produce just 1 gram of silk”
How much does the Golden Orb Spider Cape cost?
It’s very difficult to talk about the price of a golden orb spider cape. It’s the very first spider silk cloth in history, and no comparable large-scale replica has been produced since. So it’s not a surprise that the cape does not come with a price, making it a priceless museum piece.
However, if you want to get an idea of the cost of production of the fabric we can help you with that. About $395,820 spent in the production stage of Golden Spider silk Cape. But the beauty, determination, and rarity can easily make it one of the most, (if not the most) expensive fabrics on earth.
Future of Spider Silk Fabric
The commercial future of spider silk fabric remains limited, despite scientific progress. Harvesting a good amount of spider silk for fabric remains a big challenge for production. It’s even harder to think about producing commercially. But if you want to feel hopeful there is some information I can give you.
Scientists are very interested in spider silk production. They are working to develop a way to produce it for different purposes. The silk is extremely lightweight and has remarkable tensile strength for its size.
Inventing a way to produce it will change the course of human history. A Japanese startup called Spiber trying to make spider silk. At Least they try to invent a synthetic silk solution which is identical with spider silk molecule.
So, maybe someday in the future, genetic engineers will figure out a way to produce recombinant spider silk viably. How? Well, I don’t have much idea. Usually, research like this is kept very secret.
The solution may be like less aggressive mutant spiders. Improve spider goats that produce spider silk from milk glands in silk farm. May be a more scalable biological or synthetic spider silk solution.
FAQ
Does harvesting spider silk fibers hurt the spiders?
Usually, They can safely go back to the wild and produce their web again. They must be kept separately.
Is spider silk fabric eco-friendly?
Spider fabrics are eco-friendly, degradable, and zero carbon release. However, collecting silk is impractical and may disturb the natural system. Don’t worry, the production is too hard. only four well-documented spider silk garment is produced successfully.
Can spider silk replace silkworm in silk industry?
Nope. Producing silk with silkworms is quite easy if we compare it with spider silk. The silkworms create the fiber themselves, and it’s easy to harvest. Silk is also a large industry that can not be replaced by animal silk alternatives.
Is golden spider silk commercially viable?
No. This silk types cant produce much through natural process. The silk spinning needs much fiber. That is very expensive and rarest.
Conclusion
Spider silk fabric may not be available even as a luxury fabric, but it became a good example. An example of what humans can achieve through innovation, imagination, and determination. I hope human can find out a way to produce most expensive spider silk commercially.
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