Decathlon Pulse – the investment arm of the global sports retailer – has secured a deal with fashion tech company Unspun which aims to scale the use of 3D weaving technology across Europe.
According to Decathlon, the 3D weaving technology, dubbed Vega, “revolutionises the manufacturing process by weaving semi-finished products directly from yarn”. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in Unspun’s mission to provide 3D-woven apparel products to European customers.
Decathlon Pulse intends to collaborate with Unspun as an industrial partner to expand 3D weaving to serve multiple European brands. Unspun aims at deploying Vega machines to pioneer local, low-waste, and low-inventory production in the region.
The partnership runs through 2030, and although the exact terms of the deal are undisclosed, it follows Unspun’s recent announcement of the closing of its Series B funding round.
Walden Lam, CEO & co-founder of Unspun, said: “This collaboration enables us to provide apparel products that have been produced in a more sustainable way to mainstream customers in Europe.
“Collectively, we are contributing to carbon neutrality objectives on millions of garments in a bid to help the fashion industry reduce waste from the supply chain. Our Vega technology is a key step on this journey to bring fast, low-impact, circular, and cost-effective production in low operating volumes to Europe.”
Franck Vigo, CEO of Decathlon Pulse, commented: “This partnership will enable Decathlon to reduce waste within the manufacturing process and strengthen our commitment to sustainability.
“By leveraging the potential of 3D weaving, we are working to revolutionise the garment manufacturing process and offer consumers customised, recyclable, and locally-produced products.”
Unspun’s vision extends beyond reducing carbon emissions in fashion, with Vega offering scalable potential for on-demand production which would allow brands to establish micro-factories for localised and automated manufacturing.
With the EU’s Waste Framework Directive regulations on the horizon, Unspun views its approach and technology as a way of helping brands to better manage finished goods inventory levels and therefore reduce waste from unsold inventory.
Read more about Decathlon’s investments in sustainability on Green Retail World
[image credit: Decathlon]
