Leather is one of the most sought-after materials for high-end goods. However, it comes with a hefty environmental cost, and that’s before getting into the animal cruelty aspects of it. Aiming to find an eco-friendly alternative to leather, creative agency VML, The Organoid Company, and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd have developed a groundbreaking solution with the help of a creature that has long been extinct—T-Rex leather.
Despite being called “leather” the way a cow’s hide would be classified, T-Rex leather doesn’t involve any actual skin or flesh from a living animal. Instead, the process begins with T-Rex DNA obtained from fossilized collagen. This protein is abundant and serves as a structural system for the skin, tendons, bones, and cartilage of animals. The team is able to engineer cells using synthetic DNA modeled by The Organoid Company. It is then integrated to Lab-Grown Leather’s bio-based material, known as Elemental-X, which doesn’t use any additives, making it more authentic. The scientists allow these cells to freely create a structure on their own, just like the source organisms for traditional leather do in nature.
But why dinosaurs? Firstly, the team points out their ability to withstand extreme conditions—a nod to how humans will have to face climate change in the coming decades. The team also hopes to kickstart a future where the luxury materials are sustainable and ethically sourced while remaining high-quality, durable, and repairable like normal leather. Thanks to its unique design process, it will also be beyond imitation.
“This project is a remarkable example of how we can harness cutting-edge genome and protein engineering to create entirely new materials,” says Thomas Mitchell, CEO of The Organoid Company. “By reconstructing and optimizing ancient protein sequences, we can design T-Rex leather, a biomaterial inspired by prehistoric biology, and clone it into a custom-engineered cell line.”
These efforts will result in the first-ever example type of leather grown from a prehistoric, extinct species. The team plans to first use it on accessories such as handbags, with the initial commercial product arriving before the end of the year. Once they’ve gotten it right, they plan to expand it to other sectors, such as the automotive industry.
“With T-Rex leather we’re harnessing the biology of the past to create the luxury materials of the future,” adds Bas Korsten, global chief creative officer, Innovation & CCO EMEA at VML. “We are at a point in our industry’s history where we need to productize our creativity.”
To stay up to date with this endeavor, you can follow VML on Instagram.
Sources: VML, Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. and The Organoid Company announce partnership to create world’s first T-Rex leather; What is the environmental impact of leather?
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