SilkRoad: “What matters more, strength, stretch, or luster?”
That depends on the application, obviously. I’m not saying there is no market for DS/Bam-1. What I am saying is:
1) KBLB has indicated their initial sales of DS/Bam-1 will be Cotton/DS blends.
2) In order to make Cotton/DS blends distinctive from other fabrics, expect the blend to have at least 10% DS/Bam-1.
3) I don’t expect to see DS/Bam-1 blends in a suit fabric made of 90% wool, 6% linen, 2% DS/Bam-1, 1% Spandex during the next 5 years. Although the amount of silk needed is small, so is the market for this specialized blend, and the impact of shifting from mundane silk to DS/Bam-1 would be hard for most to notice.
4) Don’t’ expect DS/Bam-1 to substitute for Spandex or Lycra in fabric applications. Spandex or Lycra perform a unique function that DS/Bam-1 can’t replace.
Perhaps if/when KBLB expands to hundreds or thousands of metric tons of silk per year, niche applications like this might become available.
I hope that KBLB targets women’s fashions before men’s suit materials. Visibility and markup are likely much better. There is a reason why Bolt and Spiber led with women’s fashions before Spiber expanded into broader markets. Technical textiles are also a better market to target than men’s suit fabrics from what I can determine.
This isn’t a criticism of KBLB, just considerations of how best to promote a new kind of silk in fashion applications. Again, I’m as anxious as you are to see KBLB produce products for sale.
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