Fashion
Denmark’s Bestseller leads $20 mn funding for robotics innovator
While yarn production has long been fully automated, the time may now have come for RMG (ready-made garment) production.
Softwear Automation, creator of autonomous ‘Sewbots’, secured $20 million in Series B1 funding led by Danish fashion group Bestseller via its Invest FWD platform.
The investment will accelerate T-shirt sewing tech completion, scale production, and enhance R&D, supporting on-demand, localised garment manufacturing and addressing industry needs for speed, flexibility, and lower environmental impact.
A pioneer in this field is Softwear Automation, a technology innovator which has developed a fully autonomous sewing solution: they are making robots that can sew clothes – called ‘Sewbots’.
Softwear Automation has just announced the successful close of its $20 million Series B1 funding round. The round was led by a strategic investment from BESTSELLER, the Danish fashion company behind brands such as JACK & JONES, VERO MODA, and ONLY. The investment was made through Invest FWD, BESTSELLER’s dedicated innovation and investment platform. Current investors also participated in the financing.
From BESTSELLER, CFO Thomas Børglum Jensen states: At BESTSELLER, we look for innovations that can support progress and changes in the fashion industry. We believe that Softwear Automation can help address some of the key challenges we face across the industry – from speed and flexibility to reducing the environmental impact of garment production. We are pleased to support their development and look forward to exploring how their advanced technology can help us move forward.
Thomas Børglum Jensen CFO, BESTSELLER: As part of the collaboration between Softwear Automation and BESTSELLER, CFO Thomas Børglum Jensen, on behalf of BESTSELLER, joins the board of Softwear Automation.
“This partnership with BESTSELLER and the support from Invest FWD are not just a vote of confidence in our technology — they are a powerful catalyst for the future of on-demand and localised apparel manufacturing,” said Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan, Chairman and CEO of Softwear Automation.
The funding round aims to accelerate the completion of the robotics technology dedicated to t-shirt production, initiate the scaling of production capacity, and strengthen R&D.
The investment from BESTSELLER’s innovation and investment platform, Invest FWD, follows a series of other investments made by BESTSELLER in recent years. In total, BESTSELLER has invested more than DKK 200 million in innovative companies that aim to create the materials of the future and contribute to breakthroughs that can assist in the transformation of the fashion industry.
A significant criterion for the investments is that they not only meet BESTSELLER’s needs but also help push the entire fashion industry forward.
“When it comes to transforming the fashion industry, it is necessary with a diversified focus. The fashion industry is still linear, so it is crucial for us to also invest in innovative recycling technologies that can transform the clothes we wear today into new garments for the next generation. We have been doing this for several years, and we will intensify these efforts going forward,” says Dorte Rye Olsen, Head of Sustainability at BESTSELLER.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
The factory is likely to create 2,000 direct jobs and export nine-tenths of its production abroad.
SCZONE chairman Waleid Gamal El-Dien said the Qantara West Industrial Zone now hosts 34 projects with investments worth $859.3 million, providing over 48,000 direct jobs.
Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone has signed a deal with Turkiye’s Nil Orme to set up a $35-million textile-clothing unit in the former’s Qantara West Industrial Zone.
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s Sahinler Holding Group is planning to expand its operations in Egypt, investing over $41 million to expand its garment manufacturing and planning to complete its third sportswear factory in Egypt by the yearend.
Meanwhile, Turkish conglomerate Sahinler Holding Group is planning to expand its operations in Egypt with investments exceeding $100 million, according to an Egyptian media outlet. It is now investing over EGP 2 billion (~$41 million) to expand its ready-to-wear garment manufacturing.
This includes the completion of its third sportswear factory in Egypt by the end of 2026. It will raise production lines to 34 from the current 10.
A fourth garment factory for the Zara brand is also being planned in the third phase of Robbiki City, east of Cairo.
Founded in 1982, Sahinler now operates two sportswear factories in Egypt with a total investment of $50 million, alongside five additional facilities in Turkiye, Bulgaria, Germany and France.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Published
August 28, 2025
Expect big changes in how consumers shop. Oh, and move over Baby Boomers, because Gen X-ers are now the biggest spenders.
This year, Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) consumers will outspend Baby Boomers (1946-1964) for the first time globally, and will remain the biggest spenders until at least 2033, according to home delivery giant Parcelhero.
It says the passing of the baton “will mean big changes on the High Street, online and even to society in general”.
New figures revealed by the data analyst and consumer researcher NeilsenIQ show Gen X consumers will spend £11.28 trillion this year worldwide, eclipsing the Baby Boomers’ £10.02 trillion. In fact, Baby Boomers are also likely to be outspent by Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) this year.
Millennials’ spending could reach £10.91 trillion, knocking Boomers into third place.
Parcelhero’s head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, said: “While the postwar Boomer generation has seen the values of their houses and pensions soar, leaving many comfortably off, many of them are now retired. That means Generation Xs… are now the UK’s biggest spenders.
“There are approximately 13.7 million people in the UK who belong to Generation X, making up about 20% of the total population. [They] are now the biggest earners and highest contributors of tax, despite being a smaller cohort than the 14.1 million Millennials.”
Jinks added: “The new dominance of Gen X is going to mean significant changes, both on the High Street and online, as their preferences start to lead many retail trends. Gen X-ers have been called ‘the latch key generation’ as many grew up with both their parents working and/or divorced, letting themselves in when they returned home from school. Consequently, Gen X-ers became one of the most self-reliant of recent generations, as well as the last to grow up without the support of mobile phones and the internet.
“Whereas Boomers still preferred to make their biggest spending commitments in-store, Gen X is equally happy to splash the cash online. They may be the last analogue generation but they are also enthusiastic digital adopters.
He also noted that brand loyalty is highest among Gen X consumers, “who respond best to transparency, product performance and customer reviews, rather than flashy advertising”, according to research by the customer engagement platform Salesfloor.
The report said Gen X are also the most omnichannel of all generations. They research carefully online, reading experts’ and consumers’ reviews, but are equally likely to make their final purchase online or in-store.
“It’s also a generation less likely to be swayed by the opinions or promotions of online influencers. Indeed, Gen X may be the last generation willing to pay significantly more for proven quality and reliability.”
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
By
DPA
Translated by
Nazia BIBI KEENOO
Published
August 28, 2025
The Austrian luxury hosiery manufacturer Wolford reported a 23.4% drop in sales for the first half of the year on Thursday.
Compared to the previous year, revenue decreased by €10.1 million to €33.0 million (H1 2024: €43.1 million). The company attributed this mainly to the lingering impact of delivery delays and store closures that had been initiated in the previous year. Although Wolford stated that these issues were structurally resolved by the end of 2024, their effects continued to impact sales during the first quarter of 2025.
Despite the steep revenue decline, the company reduced its cost base, resulting in a relatively stable EBIT compared to last year. Recent streamlining and efficiency measures contributed to this outcome. Wolford did not disclose specific figures and plans to publish its full half-year report on 19 September.
The results should be viewed “in the context of the expected ongoing transition phase in which the company is actively implementing a comprehensive operational transformation aimed at restoring long-term resilience and profitability.” The company expects the first signs of recovery to appear in the second half of the year.
Looking ahead to 2025, Wolford — part of the Lanvin Group — said it does not anticipate trade policy or the broader economic environment to have a significant negative impact on earnings or sales for the second half or the full year.
FNW with dpa
This article is an automatic translation.
Click here to read the original article.
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