Your next iPhone case could be made from lab-grown T-Rex leather thanks to world first technology but experts say otherwise

Date:
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
VML is unveiling the world's first T-Rex leather product in Amsterdam,
marking the beginning of a manufacturing revolution.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter The world's first T-Rex leather is being unveiled today (April 2) in Amsterdam in the form of a handbag The project is a collaboration between creative agency VML, The Organoid Company, and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd It follows last year's announcement, which has garnered heavy debate The Jurassic Park movies are another step closer to becoming a reality and its all thanks to lab-grown T-Rex leather from the VML creative agency.

A year since it was announced, VML, The Organoid Company, and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd have been working together to collaborate on an ambitious project that sees the worlds first dinosaur leather production. The partnership is to showcase the materials potential and how it can contribute to sustainable fashion.

The first ever T-Rex leather product will come in the form of a luxury
handbag designed by techwear label Enfin Lev, and will go on display at Amsterdams Art Zoo Museum today (April 2). It will also be displayed underneath a monster replica of a T-Rex skeleton acquired by the museum from Naturalis Biodiversity Center to symbolise(s) a bridge between ancient
biology and future-facing luxury design, as VML states in its announcement . Article continues below You may like You can now buy an iPhone 17 Pro with a piece of Steve Jobs' turtleneck Samsung is making its next e-paper display from plankton yes, really! The Scapade AirPack is the techiest piece of travel gear I've ever owned (Image credit: VML) Following the exhibitions 6-week run, the handbag will then go to auction and will be sold to the highest bidder, but though VML has shared that this is a collectors item, the company added that T-Rex leather will continue to be produced and will become commercially available to designers and brands. CEO of The Organoid Company, Thomas Mitchell, is just one of the brains behind the worlds first dinosaur leather goods, sharing, This project demonstrates how genome and protein engineering can create entirely new classes of biomaterials. At the same
time, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innovation & CCO EMEA at VML also had
the following to say:

The stark reality is that lab-grown leather hasnt yet convinced the luxury world. Why? Because it feels like an imitation. We knew we had to do
something radically different. Not a substitute, but something entirely new.

Its one of the most whacky tech projects in recent years and one that has us scratching our heads. What exactly is T-Rex leather, and what are the experts saying? Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Caught out on a technicality (Image credit: VML) The concept of this lab-grown T-Rex leather has been subject to much debate and controversy since it was unveiled last year. Essentially, its produced by sourcing fossilized T-Rex collagen sequences and using processes such as computational biology and AI modelling.

According to VML, this allows scientists to predict(ed) and reconstruct(ed) the remaining genetic information required to form a complete collagen blueprint, and from there, the DNA is placed into a carrier line cell, which is then cultivated using Lab-Grown Leather Ltds Advanced Tissue Engineering Platform.

For the purposes of reducing deforestation and manufacturing pollution, its quite revolutionary, but the debate regarding whether or not it can be
classed as leather is still heavy. This is because the foundation of leather is skin, and researchers have only found T-Rex collagen in bone, as Live Science reported at the time of last years announcement . The publication
also noted that academics in the field called the process of making lab-grown T-Rex leather 'misleading' and 'fantasy'.

We've reached out to VML for a comment on the backlash, so we'll update this story when we know more. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/your-next-iphone-case-could-be-made-from-lab-gr own-t-rex-leather-thanks-to-world-first-technology-but-experts-say-otherwise


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