Textile mills develop Brewed Protein blends and prints
Spiber, a pioneer in man-made protein fibre, is gearing up for Italian trade shows Pitti Filati and Milano Unica by showcasing new yarns and textiles that partners have made with its fibre.
Japan-based Spiber harnesses the power of precision fermentation to engineer proteins at the molecular level and grow plant-based fibres it calls Brewed Protein.
New partnerships include one with Italian yarn maker Manifattura, which has blended 30% Brewed Protein with wool, and Achille Pinto, which has created the first textiles with Brewed Protein and silk.
Chiara Serra, Manifattura Sesia’s creative director, said: "We are very proud of the results achieved with the development of our new yarn: T-Gen, short for Technological Generation Yarns. The touch is exceptionally soft, and the yarn has a lower specific weight compared to pure wool, features that makes it particularly interesting from a technical perspective.”
Achille Pinto has created textile collections containing 15–30% Brewed Protein fibre blended wool, as well as the first textiles to blend Brewed Protein with silk. It is also the first European manufacturer to demonstrate printing capabilities on Brewed Protein fabrics.
In parallel, Spiber's early partners have developed new yarn and fabric collections. Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia has developed two yarns featuring Brewed Protein fiber and wool. Botto Giuseppe has renewed its 100% Brewed Protein yarn from the previous season and remains the only mill in Europe currently offering 100% Brewed Protein worsted yarn.
Marzotto has renewed its textile collection "FiberPro" from the previous season with 30% Brewed Protein blend fabrics and will present five new tailoring qualities. The fibre is blended with premium wools.
Takisada-Nagoya, a Japanese fibre distributor based in Aichi Prefecture, has developed over 20 new fabric collections. These include the first suit fabric made entirely from 100% Brewed Protein fibre, as well as Brewed Protein and wool blends suitable for coats. The line-up also features seven new denim fabrics, co-developed with the Japanese denim manufacturer Shiota, based in Okayama, including one with 20% Brewed Protein fibre, the highest composition currently available in denim on the market.
