Could a 3D-robotic loom be the answer to making fast fashion faster and more sustainable? Unspun’s patented loom (so proprietary that we had to blur it for the video) can create clothing that fits you seamlessly every time, with just a scan of your phone, and far less waste than other clothing production methods.
Unspun is pioneering a different method of apparel production out of Oakland, California. By utilizing three-dimensional weaving, the start-up is building garments from the ground up, perfectly customized for the wearer’s dimensions.
One other fact that stood out to me is that the weave uses more yarn (about 3x more, if my memory is right) than the average clothes today. That difference makes clothes more durable and last longer.
I doubt this will make the clothes more affordable, but the tech is interesting.
I remember reading an article about how you could starch fabric to make it stiff as a board so robots could work with it to cut and sew clothing. You then wash the clothes to release the starch, and reuse the starch water to stiffen the next batch. But I haven’t heard anymore about it.
They kind of undersold their message by giving the vlogger jeans that had merely been cut to fit rather than using their robotic weaving method.
It would be very impressive if they could spin denim, but I suspect that’s currently outside of their envelope. It may only be usable for sweaters or something.
