PHOTOS: This Is A Cape Made From The Silk Of Over One Million Spiders

by Justin Fenner | 1:05 pm, January 26th, 2012

 

If you were walking around thinking that regular silk was a fancy fabric, we’re got something that will challenge that assertion. Herewith, a cape that’s currently on display in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, one of two garments in the world that have been successfully been made with silk from Golden Orb Spiders.

RELATED: British Designer Creates Dress From Thousands Of Cow Nipples

The Independent reports that the cape, designed and made by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley, was made from spiders found in Madagascar and took over four years to complete. That’s probably because the silk took so long to source. Specialized handlers collected groups of spiders every day and extracted their silk in what is said to be a harmless process, then released them back into the wild when they were done. All in all, some 1.2 million spiders parted with their silk so the garment could be created.

So why all the fuss over an extravagant golden cape? Peers and Godley created it to go on display next to another piece fabric they created that first went on display in 2009. The only other spider silk garment in the history of fashion was made for an exhibit in Paris some time in 1900, but it’s long gone now.

Take a look at the stunning cape, its predecessor and the beautiful spiders they were made from below.

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Capes Nicholas Godley Simon Peers Spider Silk

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