Unspun, an apparel tech start-up focused on localized, low-waste production, appointed Arne Arens, a former executive at The North Face and Boardriders, as CEO.
Based in San Francisco, CA, Arens wrote in a LinkedIn post of his appointment, “I am thrilled to announce that I am joining Unspun as CEO, to help the company redefine the global apparel supply chain toward zero waste and zero inventory.
“Unspun’s 3D weaving technology transforms apparel production from slow, carbon-intensive and wasteful to localized, on-demand, and zero waste. Having spent 20-plus years on the brand side, I know firsthand how significant the upside can be — higher margins, lower working capital and a dramatically reduced carbon footprint.”
Arne served for over a decade at The North Face, including as global brand president from May 2017 to February 2021 and previously as GM of EMEA. He later became CEO of Boardriders, the action sports and lifestyle company behind Quiksilver, Billabong and Roxy, leading the business through its acquisition by Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) for approximately $1.25 billion.
“I have spent a good part of my career working with some of the world’s leading apparel and footwear brands and have seen firsthand the economic and environmental costs of excessively long lead times and chronic overproduction in the traditional supply chain,” said Arens in a press release. “Unspun’s manufacturing model fundamentally transforms how and where products are made — unlocking meaningful financial benefits and significantly reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. I am honored to lead Unspun at this pivotal moment and look forward to scaling our proven model into broad, lasting industry impact.”
Unspun’s proprietary 3D weaving technology, Vega, “weaves semi-finished products directly from yarn in minutes, dramatically shortening supply chains and reducing waste.”
Unspun stated in a media release, “Today, most apparel is produced 6– to 12-months before it reaches shelves, forcing brands and retailers to guess demand far in advance and absorb the cost of being wrong. The result is chronic overproduction, heavy markdowns and excess waste. Unspun’s localized, automated approach turns manufacturing into responsive infrastructure, enabling production closer to when and where demand actually occurs. This speed-based model lowers inventory risk, reduces overproduction and the apparel supply chain’s carbon footprint, and can improve gross margins by 400 to 500 bps through fewer markdowns and write-offs.”
Unspun’s technology is being piloted with global retailers, including Walmart and Decathlon.
“Arne is a proven industry leader who understands both brand building and the structural challenges of apparel supply chains,” said Kevin Martin, co-founder and chief technology officer of Unspun. “His leadership will help us accelerate deployment of our technology and partner with more brands and manufacturers looking for a smarter way to produce.”
Images courtesy Unspun
