It took eight years of study and labor to create the single hand-woven garment.

But in the end, it was all worth it. After all, the robe was stunning,

a cape of billowing golden silk embroidered with ornate botanicals and dripping with tassels.

Draped on a model, it almost seemed to glow, as if the silk itself were lit from within. And given

the sheer number of designers, silk extractors, weavers,

tailors, and more required to produce the one brocated robe, it's no wonder it's the sole example

of its kind in the world. Now, let me be clear. I'm not describing some medieval piece of

clothing handmade for a wealthy king. No, the Golden Cape was actually created

in the early 2000s, showcased at a London Museum in 2012. And there's a reason it's so special.

You see, the fibers in this robe didn't come from silkworms. Oh no, it came from 1.2 million

spiders. That's right, spiders.

This creepy crawly garment was created by Englishman Simon Pears and American Nicholas Godley,

who sought to recreate extinct 19th century techniques in which Madagascar's golden orb spiders

were harnessed for their silk.

To do so, Peers, godly, and their crew

would place female spiders in special contraptions, while human handlers extracted silk from them

by hand. And, well, let's just say that there's a reason why spiders aren't used for fabric production

more often. You see, on average, it took 23,000 of the palm-sized spiders to

yield only an ounce of silk, hence the lengthy production time, and the fact that this cape is

the largest spider silk textile in the world. Sure, it may not be practical, but I have to admit

it is beautiful. And of course, a little horrifying.

Since the beginning of time, humans have gone to marvelous and often terrifying lengths for

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