Unspun, an Oakland-based fashion tech company, has secured US $ 32 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round to expand its 3D weaving technology, Vega, in Europe. The funding round was led by DCVC, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital, E12, Decathlon, and SOSV. This investment will enable Unspun to license its technology to established European manufacturing partners.
Vega addresses key challenges in the fashion industry, such as on-demand production, nearshoring, and overconsumption. The jacquard machines, which can weave thousands of yarns into garments within minutes, enable almost zero-waste, on-demand manufacturing. These machines are versatile, able to create woven garments from almost any yarn, and can be integrated into existing supply chains for localised, automated production.
Currently, Vega machines are focused on producing high-quality bottoms, bags, and hats. Future iterations will expand into performance categories, outerwear, shoes, tops, and dresses. Unspun is also working on circular manufacturing techniques to allow garments to be unspun back into yarns and re-woven into new products.
Milo Werner, general partner at DCVC and new member of Unspun’s Board of Directors, said, “Unspun offers a tremendous economic and logistical unlock for the fashion industry by eliminating costly overproduction and radically shortening the supply chain. We think it’s good business to align profits and climate impact and are excited to help Unspun revolutionise the way clothing is made.”
Unspun CEO Walden Lam stated, “Overproduction has long been a taboo in fashion. It is now recognised by top-tier climate funds as a key issue to urgently solve for the industry. We are enthusiastic and excited to partner with DCVC, Lowercarbon, SOSV climate, Decathlon, and many commercial partners to urgently scale Vega to localise apparel manufacturing across North America and Europe.”
