How many times, watching a movie about dinosaurs, have you wondered what it would be like to touch the skin of those majestic creatures? Probably never, because it seemed like an unrealizable fantasy. And yet, what until yesterday was only imagination is now about to become a tangible reality. Tragedy repeats itself in the form of farce. Everyone trembled watching Jurassic Park, and now we will find the T-Rex in a handbag, or in a pair of shoes. A team of visionaries has decided to challenge the limits of the impossible: to create luxury leather from the DNA of a T-Rex.
This is no random experiment, but a collaboration between innovation giants that could redefine the very concept of sustainable and luxury materials.
The Return of the Predator (in accessory format)
The creative power of VML, the genomic innovation of The Organoid Company and sustainable biotechnology of Lab-Grown Leather have joined forces for a project that makes you smile and think at the same time. We are talking about the first T-Rex skin obtained using the DNA of the extinct creature.
Il Tyrannosaurus Rex, gentlemen: it was not only one of the most dangerous land predators that ever existed, but it is also about to become a fashion accessory. It is as if nature were playing a cosmic joke on us: first it took away the dinosaurs, now it gives them back to us in the form of wallets.
The first product could reportedly be available by the end of the year. The “developers” (I can’t think of a better term) say this next-generation material could be a high-quality, environmentally and animal-friendly alternative to standard leather. I wonder if paleontologists are laughing or crying.
How T-Rex Skin Is Made
Collagen is a protein found in bones, skin, muscles, and various other body tissues. It was once believed that dinosaur DNA could not survive for millions of years, but recent discoveries have found collagen preserved in several dinosaur fossils, including an 80 million year old T-Rex.
This project is a remarkable example of how we can harness cutting-edge genomic and protein engineering to create entirely new materials. By reconstructing and optimizing ancient protein sequences, we can engineer T-Rex skin, a biomaterial inspired by prehistoric biology, and clone it into a specially engineered cell line.
These are the words of Thomas mitchellCEO The Organoid Company. Behind this technical language lies a single message: we are taking the DNA of a prehistoric monster to make bags.
Last year, researchers at the MIT They've decoded how dinosaur collagen survived so long. They discovered a specific atomic mechanism that protects collagen from the damaging effects of water: a discovery that is now being exploited not for purely scientific purposes, but to create luxury accessories. There is something poetically dystopian in all this.
Ethical and environmental implications
T-Rex leather could become the first leather created from an extinct species. It could offer natural durability, repairability and the luxurious feel expected in high-end goods. The environmental and ethical implications could be huge if adopted on a global scale: traditional leather production has long been linked to deforestation and harmful tanning chemicals. Not only that, T-Rex leather has the potential to reduce environmental impact and eliminate animal cruelty.
VML indicates that the skin of T-Rex will be used initially for accessories, with a flagship luxury item expected in late 2025. The potential will then expand to include sectors such as automotive. The company says the T-Rex-based material is “fully biodegradable.” Interestingly, VML was also behind the project Mammoth Meatball, a bold undertaking that used lab-grown meat derived from the reconstructed DNA of woolly mammoth in 2023. Well, they seem to have a thing for bringing extinct creatures back to life (at least partially). Maybe next time they could try something less intimidating, and more believable. Or not?
