Balenciaga debuts eight-legged yarns | Nature Biotechnology
Luxury brand Balenciaga never intended to associate itself with critters. They nevertheless introduced this spider silk garment in their Spring/Summer 2026 collection. Spider silk is a legendary material: with a tensile strength by weight greater than that of steel, it is also bio-responsible and deliciously soft. But making thread from spider proteins remained the domain of eight-legged insects and Marvel superheroes – until biotechnology found a solution. AMSilk in Neuried, Germany, is part of a biotechnology group producing bioengineered spider thread.
AMSilk launched its first textile product with Italian fashion giant Balenciaga, which used biodegradable silk to make a shirt and shirt dress from eco-friendly yarn. AMSilk is now developing new varieties of bioengineered silk. Gudrun Vogtentanz, Scientific Director at AMSilk, says: “We add features for different applications, if we want to increase the resistance or if we want to decrease the hygroscopic behavior. » As silk protein is used in healthcare, home care and cosmetics, and to help push the boundaries of spider silk in other industries, the AMSilk team created an AI model. “[We can] show customers the possibility[ies]but also when a customer comes to see us and wants something, we can accommodate them [quickly]”, says Vogtentanz.
