Fashion
$600K Dinosaur Leather Bags: Fashion’s Most Absurd Status Symbol?
Written By Luc Cormier
vml.com
https://www.vml.com/news/worlds-first-t-rex-leather-product-unveiled-a-luxury-handbag-designed-by-enfin-leve
The T-Rex Leather bag was designed by Enfin Levé. The actual textile was created by Lab Grown Leather using their ATEP (Advanced Tissue Engineering Platform), an AI model that recreates cells. Lab-grown leather has successfully created a new textile that is strong, repairable, biodegradable, and, most importantly, replicable. The ability to reproduce the textile creates a ton of commercial possibilities.
Lab-grown leather is working to adapt to the world in a more sustainable way, with the potential to protect us as we draw closer to a climate-driven demise. Something about the bag makes me feel existential. I can’t decide if it is the materials used, the process, or simply the colour (a kind of depressing deep turquoise). Maybe it feels a little too close to playing God? I mean, we are creating new life from almost nothing; the memory of dinosaurs has been used to create a new textile. It may also be that the bag is currently being displayed inside a glass cage atop a rock.
vml.com
This accessory is at the exact centre of art, science, fashion and potentially business. A fur coat might symbolize our dominance and intelligence over other mammals. A dinosaur leather bag symbolizes complete dominance over time. This bag is technically 66-68 million years old! It would certainly make an older clientele feel younger. I wonder what type of person would wear the bag, beyond just being insurmountably wealthy? What other characteristics might they have?
I think we might be seeing a Tech Billionaire or Tech Billionaire’s wife don a piece made from Lab Grown Leather’s new material very soon. Who else is in the tax bracket to purchase a piece like this? A dinosaur leather bag is sure to stir attention no matter who wears it.
I wonder about the morality of Dinosaur leather. It is amazing that we can, but should we? I don’t have a solid opinion on this because, on one hand, we are literally messing with nature on a level never seen before, but on the other, nature has been dead for millions of years.
The potential for lab-grown leather is immense. Stella McCartney has already made major strides in this area with her Mylo bag, made from mycelium. Now, further innovation has occurred in the form of prehistoric DNA.
Stella McCartney // vogue.com
https://www.vogue.com/article/stella-mccartney-to-debut-first-ever-mushroom-leather-bag
The experimental nature of new leather is extremely fascinating. I think that attempting to replicate leather without harming animals is important work. Our current methods of leather production (from cattle raising to tanning and labour throughout the whole process) are abysmal. Creating new methods that alleviate environmental and social pressures is crucial work. I am excited to see where Lab Grown Leather goes next. Will Levé work with the textile again? Will he sell items made of it? An innovation like this sparks a lot of important speculation and debate, which I am excited to see across social media!
voggia.com
