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)
Fashion
Mielle becomes NFL’s first textured haircare partner
Published
December 1, 2025
Textured haircare brand Mielle has launched a new partnership with the National Football League, marking the League’s first collaboration with a textured haircare company.
The campaign aims to support the millions of NFL fans with textured hair—women now make up about half of the NFL’s fanbase—while addressing the unique hair challenges faced by athletes wearing helmets, including dryness, breakage and frizz.
The partnership expands Mielle’s growing footprint in professional sports and is designed to boost representation, access to high-quality care, and product innovation for textured-hair athletes and fans.
“The NFL is excited to have Mielle, a brand that is committed to performance, community, and empowering fans and athletes, lean into the NFL partnership” said Tracie Rodburg, SVP global partnerships, NFL.
“This partnership aligns with the league’s mission to build lasting connections within our communities nationwide and celebrate the self-expression of our players and fans.”
The P&G brand says the collaboration gives Mielle a major platform to showcase the performance of its dermatologist-reviewed, Skin Health Alliance–accredited formulas under real athletic conditions.
“We’re honored to be the first textured hair care partner of the NFL through our partnership with P&G,” said Monique Rodriguez, founder and CEO, Mielle. “For so many of us, football represents family and community. It’s attending cookouts, tailgates, reconnecting with family and friends, and showing up in your favorite team colors. And for millions of fans, that includes twisting, braiding, and caring for your textured hair before kickoff.”
The announcement is accompanied by a social-first campaign, including the viral “Passing the Phone” video moment featuring talents across the league from including players, executives and agents, to players’ families and on-air talent.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Fashion
India’s logistics push puts fashion in the fast lane
The government’s three-year scorecard backs this up. Since its launch in September ****, ULIP has integrated more than thirty logistics and customs systems and clocked over *.* billion (***+ crore) API transactions as of around August ****, effectively treating data flows like rails. LDB, operational since July ****, has cumulatively tracked over ** million EXIM containers across *** inland container depots (ICDs) by around August ****, turning container visibility from a premium add-on into the default. A Transportation Emissions Measurement Tool (TEMT), developed by IIM Bangalore and partners and endorsed by DPIIT, now gives exporters an ISO-*****-aligned way to report logistics emissions, so freight can sit alongside product footprints in sustainability dossiers.
From Map to Mill Gate: What Gati Shakti Has Actually Changed
Fashion
Modella eyeing another acquisition, this time it’s the Wynsors footwear chain
Published
December 1, 2025
Modella Capital is fast becoming one of the most acquisitive businesses on the UK high street and the latest retailer in its sights is footwear chain Wynsors World of Shoes.
That’s according to Sky News, which said the investment firm is targeting a takeover of the privately owned footwear retailer and is currently in “advanced talks”.
Wynsors trades from around 50 standalone shops across the north of England and Modella is now “the likeliest buyer” of the business, with expectations of a deal before the end of the year.
Modella was recently in the news as the buyer of Claire’s UK business. It also recently bought the non-travel locations of WH Smith (now renamed TG Jones) and owns Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop too. It had earlier hoped to add Poundland to its portfolio but missed out on that one.
Wynsors has been looking to sell for around two months and accountancy firm RSM had been hired explore interest from prospective bidders, Sky News said.
The chain trades from around 50 standalone stores and 40 concessions. It sells brands including Adidas, Skechers, Hush Puppies, Clarks, Nike, kickers and more. And although its sells footwear for women, men and children, it focuses particularly on school shoes.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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