First T-Rex cell-derived leather bag auctioned in Paris

Culture

This photo shows the first “T-Rex leather” bag presented before its auction at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris, estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000 euros. Credits: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP.

By AFP

Automated translation

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Paris - A leather bag reconstructed from Tyrannosaurus Rex cells is being auctioned on Thursday at the Hôtel de Drouot in Paris by the auction house Giquello. The house estimates this “unique piece” to be worth between 300,000 and 500,000 euros.

Unveiled in Amsterdam this spring, the bag was created from collagen remains found in the femur of a T-Rex in Montana, in the US, twenty-five years ago.

“In recent years, we have successfully developed techniques and biotechnologies that allow us to instruct a cell culture to build, so to speak, real T-Rex skin in a laboratory,” Iacopo Briano, a palaeontology expert associated with the sale, recently explained to AFP.

In a recent press release, the Drouot auction house, where the bag is being sold at 6pm CET, described it as “an unprecedented object in the history of luxury”. It is also a “scientific feat” that allows for the creation of leather “without any recourse to animal farming”.

According to the statement, “cellular leather opens up a new path: one of exclusivity that no longer relies on harvesting or intensive farming”.

According to Iacopo Briano, this material differs from vegan leather, which is made from plastic. “Here, we start with a cell culture, so it is 100 percent skin. At the same time, it comes from an animal that disappeared 67 million years ago!” he stated.

Due to a lack of precedent, Alexandre Giquello, whose house is organising the auction, explained that it was necessary to “invent a price”. The sale price had to reflect both the investment required to create the bag and its rarity.

“300,000 euros is a great deal of money. At the same time, it is a unique item in the world. Since rarity commands a high price, this is the result,” he told AFP.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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