Sea Silk is a historic luxury textile from ancient Rome, once reserved for garments worn by figures such as emperors and popes. Today, marine pollution and overfishing have pushed Pinna nobilis to the brink of extinction, and its harvesting is now prohibited. Traditionally, the byssal threads of these pen shells were discarded as a valueless byproduct of the food industry. “We had to ask fishermen to separately collect the byssal threads, which they would normally just throw away,” Professor Hwang recalled. Professor Hwang suggested that potential applications could extend far beyond textiles, envisioning uses in luxury apparel, cosmetics, and even as a high-end culinary ingredient.