Hong Kong start-up developing 3D technology to weave perfect pair of customised jeans with zero waste
- With 3D weaving, Unspun will no longer have any cut waste, the discarded fabric from traditional apparel making techniques
- Start-up’s founders say they are determined to change the polluting and labour intensive denim manufacturing process through the use of technology
A start-up is combining 3D scanning and weaving technology to make the perfect pair of jeans, as consumers’ preferences shift from big-name brands to tech-inspired and sustainable fashion.
San Francisco-based Unspun, which joined Hong Kong’s The Mills Fabrica “techstyle” incubator in February, touts itself as a zero-inventory store; jeans are only made when an order is placed. The incubator says techstyle covers material and supply chain innovation, wearables merging technology and style, and new retail experiences.
The two-year-old robotics and apparel company, which counts the National Science Foundation, H&M Foundation, venture capital investor SOSV and the Mills among its early backers, aims to become a zero-waste operation. It is developing a 3D weaving machine that would completely eliminate fabric waste, with plans to deploy it in stores as early as the end of this year.
“The best way to think about it is like a 3D printer for clothes,” said Walden Lam, one of Unspun’s three co-founders. “But when people think of 3D printed clothing, they think its plastic-y, not something people would want to wear. What we are actually doing is using yarn that goes into everyday clothing and manipulating it into the final product.”
With 3D weaving, Unspun will no longer have any cut waste, the discarded fabric from traditional apparel making techniques. For now, Unspun uses their cut waste to create reusable packaging for their jeans.