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Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. announced that researchers, working pursuant to Kraig's collaborative research program, utilizing customized spider silk genetic engineering sequences, succeeded in creating a new type of recombinant spider silk, which the Company is designating as "Big Red."The "Big Red" silk is currently being spun within the laboratory by transgenicly modified silkworms.

'Big Red' is a composite fiber," said Company CEO, Kim Thompson. "This new type of fiber was designed to be a combination of spider silk proteins, silkworm silk proteins and protein from an unrelated species. From a genetic perspective, what significantly differentiates this material from our Monster Silk is the unique spider silk genetic sequence that we used, which we designed to increase strength to weight ratios. Another important difference is the incorporation of a unique protein, which gives the new fiber its designation as 'red.'

"The design for 'Big Red' derived from what we learned about the mechanical characteristics of recombinant spider silk fibers from our work with Monster Silk," continued Thompson. "Specifically, the new fiber was designed to place more emphasis on tensile strength and slightly less emphasis on elongation. We anticipate that 'Big Red' will be a powerful arrow in our quiver as we move to commercialize Monster Silk and the Company is hopeful that this new material will follow it in the commercialization pipeline. In my view, the creation of Big Red demonstrates the power of our technology to continue to develop new and exciting materials."The "Big Red" name comes in part from the fact that the fibers have a slight red cast. Under UV light, the new fibers actually glow bright red.

Thompson further stated, "The successful creation of these new materials once again validates our scientific models. Based upon the observed levels of color expression and the nature of the spider silk genetic configurations used in its creation, the hope is that it will find its own significant niche in the technical textiles marketplace. Preparation for mechanical testing of the new fiber is currently taking place."

LONDON, United Kingdom — This month, the Spotlight turns to Yang Li, a 24-year-old Central Saint Martins dropout and former Raf Simons intern, whose laser-sharp, monastically clean aesthetic is, surprisingly, the product of a range of reference points. “I got angry at school because they said: don’t look at other designers, you can only draw with your ideas,” says the London-based Li, who, instead, likens design to being a DJ, sampling and remixing a variety of source material to make a track. But make no mistake. Blending classic tailoring and architectural silhouettes with a healthy dose of punk, Li is creating a look that’s very much his own. Though born in Beijing, Li grew up in the sleepy city of Perth in Western Australia, where basketball and skateboarding — which still influence his work today — served as his primary introduction to style. “Both of these activities require an expressive sense of dress,” says Li. It was the work of Helmut Lang and Raf Simons, however, that first turned him onto the possibility of becoming a designer. And like his fashion icons, Li is less i nterested in “re-inventing” a product than “what I’m saying with it.” Indeed, many of Li’s silhouettes are familiar — full A-line skirts for women and double breasted military coats for men — but the designer makes restrained use of edgy details like raw edges, tab closures and side slits to create a quiet sense of “roughness.” And while many of his fabrics, including double face wool and top-grain leather, are rich, the way he subtracts unnecessary seams from his pieces creates a strong and distinctly modern effect. “Luxury is not about giving everything. It’s about knowing what to give.” In his third season, Li has already attracted a growing tribe of fashion followers, as well as a list of highly influential stockists, including 10 Corso Como, L’Eclaireur, Hostem, Dover Street Market and LN-CC. “I think it’s really fresh to have a young designer with such a minimal and mature collection and it really appeals to me as a brand,” says John Skelton, creative director of LN-CC, who was one of the first to buy Li’s work. “All of the references seem to come from the right places from my perspective. It seems to be a modern update of brands such as Yohji Yamamoto, Prada and Jil Sander, which are all very close to my heart. In fact, Yang Li is probably the most relevant young brand in the world to me personally at the moment.” As for expansion, the designer is taking a measured approach. “I’m not in a rush,” says Li, who lives in London, but has decided to show in Paris. In London, designers grow too fast, he says, while Paris, though harder to crack, he finds more conducive to his patient approach. “I’d rather build one brick solidly at a time to build a church where it’s a ritual for people to go than build a pop-up which is popular for a couple of seasons.” Source; http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/12/the-spotlight-yang-li.html#more-39444