Rewoven silk cocoon waste used as a leather alternative 

Japanese designer Hiroto Ikebe recently showcased a leather alternative he developed using rewoven silk cocoon waste. His exhibition COCOON ANATOMY, shown during DESIGNART Tokyo 2024, displayed clothing that was designed to demonstrate that silk materials typically discarded or not used for mass production can be repurposed into fabrics and materials with multiple uses. 

The leather alternative comes from raw silk, a material that hasn’t been fully processed or refined. Kibiso, the outer layer of silk thread, which is often rough; and degara cocoons, the ones that may not be ideal for traditional silk production but still have fibers that can be used in production. Hiroto Ikebe subjects them to carding, or the process of separating and mixing the fibers from each material together.

The designer reweaves them all into nature-inspired cuts and patches the filaments together with other materials. He says final product has properties  similar to leather in terms of texture, durability and versatility. The silk cocoon waste then may be a viable alternative to leather, and it can help reduce the number of shells discarded in landfills. He hopes that the exhibition can bring to light new techniques and approaches to sericulture, or the production of raw silk and the act of raising silkworms. 

Photo: Yasunari Kikuma^©︎ Fashion Frontier Program, courtesy of Hiroto Ikebe.