The first lab-grown T-Rex Leather handbag is here. It will cost you
Corrections & clarifications: This story has been updated to clarify that the bag will be displayed at a museum in Amsterdam with a life-size cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen.
T-Rex Leather purses and accessories are one step closer to your favorite store – but expect a dinosaur-size price drop before they fit the average budget.
The first handbag made from lab-grown leather inspired by reconstructed T. rex protein sequences goes on display Thursday, April 2, at the Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam. After a six-week exhibition, the "T-Rex" bag will be auctioned and sold to the highest bidder.
The starting bid: 500,000 British pounds or about $663,000.
The T-Rex handbag, made from lab-grown leather inspired by reconstructed T. rex protein sequences, will be on display at the Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam before being auctioned later this year.
For now, it's a one-of-a-kind collector's piece, designed by high-end Polish techwear label Enfin Levé. But acceptance among the elite and influencers can lead to mainstream products.
"At the moment, lab-grown leather often struggles in the luxury space because it’s seen as an imitation – something trying to replicate traditional leather, but never quite achieving the same sense of exclusivity. With T-Rex leather, the intention is to shift that perception entirely," said Bas Korsten, global chief creative officer at VML, the creative firm that announced the development, along with biotech firms The Organoid Company and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd.
"By positioning T-Rex leather as ultra-luxury, we’re showing that ethical, lab-grown materials can be just as desirable – if not more so – than traditional leather," Korsten said in a statement to USA TODAY. "If we can change how people think about these materials, we truly believe that broader adoption will follow."
The three companies announced in May 2025 that they had been developing the T-Rex Leather, which is made from fragments of T. rex collagen protein recovered from fossils. With that, they used AI-assisted biology to synthesize new DNA into specialized cells to make a material that behaves like leather.
"By reconstructing and optimizing ancient protein sequences, we’ve designed T-Rex leather inspired by prehistoric biology and cloned it into a custom-engineered cell line," said The Organoid Company CEO Thomas Mitchell in a statement. "It's a bold example of synthetic biology extending beyond medicine into sustainable material innovation."
USA TODAY previously reported that some detractors consider the project misleading. University of Maryland vertebrate paleontologist Thomas Holtz Jr. pointed out to Live Science, a science news site, how the lab-created skin won't be authentic because there's no actual T. rex skin or DNA to serve as a basis.
"What this company is doing seems to be fantasy," he told Live Science.
The companies said synthetic T-Rex Leather has some of the same protective benefits as actual T. rex skin, but unlike actual leather, it doesn't need to be tanned, a process that requires chemicals and can create water pollution.
"This venture showcases the power of cell-based technology to create materials that are both innovative and ethically sound," added Che Connon, CEO of Lab-Grown Leather, in a statement.
The dark teal handbag — it wouldn't look out of place being carried by "Game of Thrones" royalty — appears to be the size of a letter bag with DNA helix-styled hardware connecting the strap to the bag. There's a zipper on the front and vents in the bag, which likely allows for expansion as you fill it with a pocketbook, phone, and keys.
The T-Rex handbag in its display at the Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam.
T-Rex Leather "has a distinct character and responds unlike any leather we’ve worked with," said Michal Hadas, Founder and Lead Designer at Enfin Levé. "The final bag follows that logic, letting the material define the object rather than forcing it into familiar codes of luxury."
The bag will be displayed at the Art Zoo Museum with a life-size cast of a famous Tyrannosaurus rex specimen from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center — also in the Netherlands — in nearby Leiden.
The T-Rex handbag will be on display at the Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam, along with a T. rex specimen.
"By working with reconstructed prehistoric biology, we’re introducing a material that stands on its own," said VML's Korsten. "Something original, rather than an alternative. In terms of scale, the long-term ambition is to see this kind of innovation adopted more widely across fashion and accessories."
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X, and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].
