Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has begun supplying recombinant spider silk to outside developers, shipping its first commercial order of custom-engineered spider silk yarn on Sept. 29 to an unnamed performance sportswear brand under a confidential pilot program. The Michigan company uses genetically engineered silkworms rather than microbial fermentation to produce fibers containing spider silk proteins. On Oct. 26 it said it had also supplied samples to an unidentified textile technology developer that works with major aerospace manufacturers.
Researchers at Australia's RMIT University have built a prototype wildfire jacket from mycelium leather grown on agricultural waste, now on display at the National Gallery of Victoria through Feb. 7, 2027. The project is a research and design demonstration, not a commercial garment, and researchers are still studying the material's fire resistance, insulation, durability and ability to self-extinguish. The jacket has achieved Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Product Class II certification.
Elsewhere, Lenzing Group is investing 27 million euros ($30 million) to expand lyocell short-cut fiber production at its Mobile, Ala. facility as part of a 50-million-euro nonwovens program. Lululemon introduced a patent-pending run vest that pairs insulation with mesh panels ventilated by airflow during movement. Karl Mayer will show two Jacquard warp-knitting machines in Changzhou, China, claiming productivity gains of up to 70 percent. Ororo added four SureWarm styles, including its first jacket with a detachable heated hood. Nuyarn Technologies won a 2026 Performance Days Award for an open-net wool fabric.
Originally reported by WWD