MANY MINDEDStartup prints recyclable fabric parts on demand instead of overseas
Variloom, a Palo Alto company, is developing a filament and 3D printing system that produces customizable, recyclable fabrics on demand and on site. The company says its process turns out materials in days rather than the three months to a year typical of traditional fashion supply chains. Its proprietary material is made from bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane and natural textile waste, and can be recycled up to three times without losing quality while carrying features like moisture wicking or odor control.
For now the company makes components and parts rather than finished garments. Its public partnerships include customizable zipper pulls with YKK and board short components with Rip Curl. Venture lead Bethany Meuleners, who has more than two decades in the fashion industry, frames the goal as eventually producing whole garments and even custom in-store production while customers wait.
The abundance angle is in compressing the supply chain. Making apparel parts locally and on demand cuts the overproduction, shipping, and waste baked into long global supply chains, and a recyclable feedstock keeps material in use longer. If it scales to full garments, clothing could be made closer to where it's worn and closer to actual demand.
The caveats are real. The waste and cost claims come from the company, the system currently makes parts rather than products, and in-store custom production is described as a vision for the next couple of years. This account is drawn from an edited Q&A interview, so treat the projections as intentions, not results.
Source: Manufacturing Dive