Following its acquisition of outdoor apparel specialist Best Made Co, US-based biotechnology company Bolt Threads has unveiled the first co-created product in a move it says represents the future of apparel technology, sustainability and design.
California-based Bolt Threads creates fibres from scratch based on proteins found in nature, and then develops cleaner, closed-loop processes for manufacturing, using green chemistry practices. Its yarns include Engineered Silk based on spider silk.
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It purchased New York-based Best Made Co, an outdoor lifestyle brand that sells clothing, footwear and accessories, in July in a move the business said will allow both companies to bypass the traditional supply chain in bringing products to market.
Bolt Threads buys apparel firm to bypass “traditional” supply chain
Now, the pair have launched the limited-edition Best Made Microsilk Cap of Courage, which marks Bolt Threads’ second commercially available product using Microsilk and combines American Rambouillet wool fibres from Mountain Meadow Mill in Wyoming, in a staple yarn.
Over the course of nine months, the Bolt Threads, Best Made Co, and Mountain Meadow teams worked to integrate 21st century fibres with traditional materials and spinning techniques. After working through a series of prototypes, the final product was manufactured entirely in the US.
Known as ‘the American Merino sheep’, Rambouillet sheep grow a very fine micron wool, offering what Bold Threads claims is a “luxury-level softness”. The Microsilk Cap of Courage uses a mixture of white and black wool, to create varying degrees of grey, which are then overdyed in ten of Best Made’s signature colorways.
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By GlobalDataOnce the Microsilk and wool fibres are properly dyed, both are sent through mechanical carding equipment to blend and twist the individual fibres into one cohesive spool of yarn for knitting.
Priced at US$198, 100 units of the Best Made Microsilk Cap of Courage are available online at Best Made Co now.
Earlier this year, Bold Threads unveiled the first spider silk product ever available for purchase, a limited edition knit necktie made of 100% Boltspun spider silk.
Bolt Threads reveals 100% spider silk necktie
It has also worked with designer fashion house Stella McCartney to develop new sustainable materials in line with the label’s commitment to responsible sourcing.
Stella McCartney and Bolt Threads to work on new materials
