Spiber, a spin-out of Keio University and successful in the scale-up of spider silk production, has teamed up with Aderans, a Tokyo-based wig-maker. The two companies plan to jointly develop a new structural material for human wigs based on recombinant spider silk. Aderans will utilize its hair-related technologies to reproduce the unique feel and properties of natural hair. Spider silk does not easily break, and it is expected that the high-tech wigs can be coloured and permed.

Spiber has announced in December 2018 that they have secured Cool Japan Funds to build a new factory in Thailand which will produce several hundred tons of recombinant spider silk from 2021 on.

Spiber press release, March 19, 2019