How The Fashion and Textile Industry Is Embracing Technology, With Alex Chan, Director At The Mills Fabrica

The fashion and textile industry is at a turning point. First, it is one of the most polluting due to its use of chemicals (polyester, dyes, etc.), large amounts of water, long-distance logistics, and waste (defective products and unsold inventory that ends up burnt or in landfills. The Covid-19 pandemic put pressure on both retail and supply chains. In this episode, we talk with Alex Chan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanhyalexander/?originalSubdomain=hk), Co-Director of The Mills Fabrica (http://www.themillsfabrica.com/) about the industry’s growing appetite for innovation. This podcast is hosted by Benjamin Joffe (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminjoffe) (@benjaminjoffe (http://twitter.com/benjaminjoffe)), Partner at SOSV (http://www.sosv.com/), a global early stage fund focused on deep tech. SOSV runs multiple accelerator programs including HAX (http://www.hax.co/) (intelligent hardware) and IndieBio (http://www.indiebio.co/) (life sciences). To hear about new episodes, sign up to the newsletter (https://benjaminjoffe.substack.com/) or follow us on twitter at @LabToMarket (https://twitter.com/labtomarket) or @SOSV (http://www.twitter.com/sosv). OVERVIEW In this conversation, we talk about: The growing interest of the fashion and textile industry for deep tech to improve productivity, reduce its environmental impact, and build more resilient supply chains. Examples of solutions for digital fabrication, on-demand and local production (including 3D printing). New and sustainable biomaterials, Technologies for defect prevention or waste recycling. Finally, we discuss strategies and resources for startups to successfully engage with the apparel industry. REFERENCES MENTIONED Startups Disclosure: SOSV, TheMills and Nan Fung portfolio companies are marked. Algalife (https://www.alga-life.com/) (The Mills): Textile pigments and fibers from algae — TheMills. AlgniKnit (https://www.algiknit.com/): algae-derived, biodegradable yarns and textiles — SOSV. Bolt Threads (https://boltthreads.com/): Sustainable Fashion Biomaterials and Fabrics — Nan Fung. Evrnu: Novel engineered fiber made from discarded clothing — TheMills Huue (fka Tinctorium): Sustainable, petroleum-free indigo dyes — SOSV, TheMills. Kniterate: digital desktop knitting machine — SOSV. Mango Materials (https://www.mangomaterials.com/): Biopolymers from methane — TheMills MycoWorks: Mushroom-based leather — SOSV. Presso: Dry-cleaning and disinfection robot — SOSV. Renewcell: Technology for fabric recycling — TheMills SmarTex: Real-time defect detection for textile production — SOSV. Unspun: On-demand, custom jeans from 3D body scans — SOSV, TheMills. Other References Fashion for Good (https://fashionforgood.com/) (Amsterdam): Platform for sustainable fashion innovation Global Change Award (https://globalchangeaward.com/): Back by the non-profit H&M Foundation to make the entire fashion industry circular. Shima Seiki (https://www.shimaseiki.com/): A global leader in knitting machines. Techstyle Innovations (http://www.themillsfabrica.com/platform/reports/): Report by TheMills Fabrica. Covid-19: Reconstructing the Apparel Value Chain (http://www.themillsfabrica.com/platform/reports/): Report by TheMills Fabrica. RECENT EPISODES 15. The State Of Robotics (Fady Saad, MassRobotics) (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/the-state-and-future-opportunities-in-robotics-with-fady-saad-of-massrobotics-635916253440) 14. How Khosla Ventures Invests In Deep Tech ( Kanu Gulati and Rajesh Swaminathan (https://medium.com/@benjaminjoffe/how-khosla-ventures-invests-in-deep-tech-with-kanu-gulati-and-rajesh-swaminathan-1d043c72446b)) 13. Australia's Deep Tech Ambitions (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/australias-deep-tech-ambitions-with-phil-morle-startup-scene-pioneer-and-partner-at-main-dc9184ca814b) (Phil Morle, Main Sequence Ventures) (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/australias-deep-tech-ambitions-with-phil-morle-startup-scene-pioneer-and-partner-at-main-dc9184ca814b) 12. Funding Science Fiction That Works (Habib Haddad & Calvin Chin, E14 Fund of MIT Media Lab) (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/funding-science-fiction-that-works-from-the-mit-media-lab-with-habib-haddad-and-calvin-chin-from-a941748bb664) 11. How to Select Industrial Partners (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/how-to-select-industrial-partners-with-robert-gallenberger-partner-at-the-industrial-technology-59f5a00d9f5c?source=---------2------------------) (Robert Gallenberger, btov Partners) (https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/how-to-select-industrial-partners-with-robert-gallenberger-partner-at-the-industrial-technology-59f5a00d9f5c?source=---------2------------------) RESOURCES ON DEEP TECH DeepTech Investing Report (https://differentfunds.com/deeptech-investing/) by Different The Dawn of the Deep Tech Ecosystem (https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-The-Dawn-of-the-Deep-Tech-Ecosystem-Mar-2019.pdf) by Hello Tomorrow and BCG Deep Tech Investors Mapping (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BqNO7l4kXRhjG5jcB89FwRlhuRKBwBKtV7ZHwwLjPhk/edit#gid=0) by Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Trends Report (https://sosv.com/deeptechtrends/), Hardware Trends Reports (https://hax.co/hardware-trends/) and Hardware Investment Outlook (https://medium.com/hax-co/our-investment-outlook-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-c1fa1233c6f1) by SOSV