Most fashionistas like to try and stay ahead of the curve.
But a new style involves going quite far in the opposite direction – around 70 million years back in time.
A company has announced plans to create the world’s first T.Rex leather, engineered from the prehistoric beast’s DNA.
And it could mean that, one day, we have the option of carrying a T.Rex leather handbag, slipping on a T.Rex leather jacket or even getting into a car with T.Rex leather seats.
A team of scientists will ‘combine creative innovation, genomic engineering and advanced tissue engineering to start producing sustainable luxury materials from prehistoric species’.
It builds on previous research which involved extracting a fragment of collagen from a T.Rex fossil, found in 1988 in Montana.
It was one of the most complete specimens at the time of its discovery, and even contained preserved blood proteins.
Now, experts will use this fragment to artificially recreate what a full-length T.Rex collagen sequence would have looked like.
A company has announced plans to create the world’s first T.Rex leather, engineered from the prehistoric beast’s DNA. Pictured: An AI visualisation of what a T.Rex leather bag could look like
The design builds on previous research which involved extracting a fragment of collagen from a T.Rex fossil which was found in 1988 in Montana (pictured here on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
Once they have made sure it looks genetically similar to that of the T.Rex ancestors, they will incorporate it into their own lab-grown leather cells and ‘grow’ it.
This will produce a dense network of collagen – similar to the middle layer of skin – which will then become the T.Rex leather.
The collaboration is between The Organoid Company, Lab-Grown Leather Ltd and creative agency VML, and the leather will be developed at a lab in Newcastle.
Thomas Mitchell, CEO of The Organoid Company, said: ‘This project is a remarkable example of how we can harness cutting-edge genome and protein engineering to create entirely new materials.
‘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.’
Bas Korsten, Global Chief Creative Officer at VML, added: ‘With T.Rex leather we’re harnessing the biology of the past to create the luxury materials of the future.
‘This ground-breaking collaboration represents the intersection of creative innovation and cutting-edge biotechnology.’
The team said the environmental and ethical implications of their design are significant. Traditional leather production is linked to extensive deforestation, while some leather tanning processes involve the use of harmful chemicals like chromium, which can lead to pollution.
An illustration showing T.Rex, the terrifying meat-eating dinosaur that lived 83-66 million years ago
Sue the T.Rex – one of the largest, most extensive and best-preserved fossils ever found. She is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago
They said the new T.Rex leather technology offers a way to dramatically reduce these environmental impacts while eliminating animal cruelty concerns linked to traditional leather production.
Initial applications will focus on accessories, with the ambition to produce a luxury fashion item as its flagship commercial product by the end of 2025.
Following their proof-of-concept design, they say increased production should open up opportunities to expand into sectors beyond fashion, such as the automobile industry.
‘The material is fully biodegradable while maintaining the durability and repairability of traditional leather, offering a sustainable, cruelty-free, and traceable alternative for future generations of consumers, who demand both innovation and environmental responsibility,’ the team said.
Professor Che Connon of Lab-Grown Leather added: ‘We’re unlocking the potential to engineer leather from prehistoric species, starting with the formidable T.Rex.
‘This venture showcases the power of cell-based technology to create materials that are both innovative and ethically sound.’
In 2023 scientists managed to grow mammoth flesh in a lab to make a prehistoric meatball.
The delicacy was made by an Australian cultivated meat company that ultimately wants to mix and match cells from unconventional species to create new kinds of meat.
Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species’ closest-living relative.
This sequence was then placed in the myoblast stem cells from a sheep, which replicated to grow 20 billion cells that were in turn used to grow the mammoth meat.
However, despite creating what they hope will be a ‘really tasty’ meat, the experts were too afraid to eat it in case the ancient protein proves deadly.
KILLING OFF THE DINOSAURS: HOW A CITY-SIZED ASTEROID WIPED OUT 75 PER CENT OF ALL ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES
Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world’s species were obliterated.
This mass extinction paved the way for the rise of mammals and the appearance of humans.
The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
The asteroid slammed into a shallow sea in what is now the Gulf of Mexico.
The collision released a huge dust and soot cloud that triggered global climate change, wiping out 75 per cent of all animal and plant species.
Researchers claim that the soot necessary for such a global catastrophe could only have come from a direct impact on rocks in shallow water around Mexico, which are especially rich in hydrocarbons.
Within 10 hours of the impact, a massive tsunami waved ripped through the Gulf coast, experts believe.
Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world’s species were obliterated. The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (stock image)
This caused earthquakes and landslides in areas as far as Argentina.
While investigating the event researchers found small particles of rock and other debris that was shot into the air when the asteroid crashed.
Called spherules, these small particles covered the planet with a thick layer of soot.
Experts explain that losing the light from the sun caused a complete collapse in the aquatic system.
This is because the phytoplankton base of almost all aquatic food chains would have been eliminated.
It’s believed that the more than 180 million years of evolution that brought the world to the Cretaceous point was destroyed in less than the lifetime of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which is about 20 to 30 years.