Material innovation: Unspun’s sustainable 3D woven clothes
California / USA
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California / USA 〰️
Image: Unspun
TL;DR: Unspun is merging 3D-weaving tech and body scanning to revolutionise sustainable fashion.
So what? Your next pair of jeans could be zero-waste, perfectly fitted using home scans, and part of a movement reshaping the fashion industry's ecological footprint.
Unspun, a California-based startup, is reshaping the fashion industry by seamlessly blending digital technology and sustainable practices. Through their innovative 3D-weaving technology, on-demand manufacturing, and at-home body scanning, they aim to redefine fashion by offering better fits, reduced item returns, and a path towards zero waste.
zero-waste fashion: Vega’s 3d weaving tech
Central to Unspun's innovation is their Vega 3D-weaving technology. This groundbreaking innovation weaves yarn directly into clothing, streamlining manufacturing processes notorious for their carbon footprint. The goal is simple: quick, cost-effective, and potentially zero-waste clothing production. While the technology is in development, Unspun already offers on-demand custom jeans, manufactured in partner facilities in Turkey and China.
Unspun takes inclusivity to heart with genderless denim options. Their commitment is clear: "we make jeans for humans." Customers can easily place orders and take advantage of the body scanning component, which significantly reduces waste. Unspun's confidence is reflected in their 100% fit guarantee.
Images: Unspun
Reducing clothing returns and landfill
Unspun’s approach addresses the fashion industry's issues of inventory destruction and landfill waste. Unlike many brands, Unspun’s clothing return rate is just 10% (most e-comerce hovers around 20%-30%) and returned items are not discarded; they are repurposed for future buyers, or used for creating pattern samples. While Unspun's jeans currently have a $200 price tag, the potential for production automation through 3D weaving could make products more affordable in the future.
Tailor made garments powered by your iPhone
Unspun's body scanning process is accessible to customers with an iPhone equipped with FaceID. This technology captures a 360-degree view of the customer's body, projecting thousands of dots of infrared light onto their body. Unspun uses this data to create a hyper-accurate 3D body model unique to each customer which is then used to tailor patterns, ensuring a perfect fit through virtual tailoring.
Images: Unspun
Challenges on the path to zero waste in fashion
Unspun's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Martin, emphasizes the need to address fashion's waste problem, which stems from overproduction and disposability. While their approach is innovative, challenges remain in achieving the perfect fit and zero waste with factors like lighting and changes in a customer's physique affecting the accuracy of scans. To reach a zero-waste future in fashion, Unspun is exploring explores recyclability and other ways of perfecting fit, such as analyzing past orders to create measurement profiles.
Unspun's dedication to sustainability and innovation represents an important moment in the fashion industry. Their vision of a future where on-demand manufacturing reduces inventory waste is both promising and environmentally conscious. While challenges persist, Unspun's commitment to sustainability demonstrates that fashion can evolve, offering not just a better version of what already exists, but a better, sustainable future for all.
