Stitching Success: Nano Textile Solution to Reduce the Overproduction with Adjustable Fit Textile

Today’s linear and unsustainable textile industry, particularly the fashion segment, accounts for a major negative footprint on our climate: 80% of the footprint occurs in the production process due to traditional production methods and bad estimations in demand, which causes pollution, high volumes of unnecessary overproduction and waste. 20% of the footprint occurs in the consumption lead due to the short life cycle and low product utilization. 

Therefore, we need a transformation shift to become sustainable and circular for a better world, and Nano Textile has given the first step to achieve this objective. Nano Textile Solutions’ mission is to be a part of the big shift towards this vast and vital transformation in the industry. 

Sam Issa, CEO and founder of the company, was born and raised in a tailoring family, and thus he has been constantly surrounded by textiles, sewing machines. This environment naturally fostered his passion for textiles, as it was an integral part of their life with the entire family involved. Identifying sustainability as a critical issue, he decided to create an innovative solution combining textiles and technology to address global sustainability challenges.

Nano Textile Solutions describes their approach as adaptive, meaning they have adapted their textiles and processes to the circumstances around them. They emphasize being responsible, striving to avoid greenwashing, and ensuring accountable usage of resources to create a sustainable and positive impact.

They also focus on optimizing various aspects of production, particularly in consumption, by expanding  the product life cycle and minimizing waste through their technology. “We are optimizing different things in production and consumption. For instance in the consumption, prolonging the product life cycle making sure that we have as little waste as possible through our technology”, explained Sam Issa.

Their technology allows having multiple sizes built into one product. Instead of producing fixed sizes like small, medium, and large, they offer products that can be adjusted on demand to fit the wearer perfectly. This approach significantly reduces the number of different sizes that need to be produced, thereby minimizing overproduction:

“Consumers benefit from products that fit them perfectly, and if they value sustainability, they are likely to use the product for as much as possible, thereby extending the product life cycle”- said Sam Issa.

The Challenges of Adopting New Technology

To adopt new technology, it is crucial to find people and organisations open to change. Sam seeks to transform conventions rather than disrupt them entirely. 

“We want to create better sustainability possibilities through innovation. In the end, it’s about changing the way that we see, produce and consume things so it’s about transforming conventions. If you reduce overproduction and increase the turnover in stores,it will give you a better economy. That’s the main  challenge common to all innovations because it’s always cost-adding when you do something new, and you don’t have the volumes yet”stated Sam.

According to Sam, “demand” is another big challenge. The supply from their side is a new technology as something like this has never existed before. Thus, they had to find a way to produce it, and that has been very hard to do:

 “From research to lab level to industrialization, scaling is very hard”. What we’ve been doing is adapting to the existing value chains. We’re using threads that are woven, and then we use finishing technologies that already exist. We send the pieces of the components to the manufacturing facility, and they use traditional sewing machines to integrate our technology. So, we’ve been fighting to find the right way. These are two of my biggest challenges: getting the adoption of our innovation and scaling production from lab research to industrial levels”- explained Sam.

Customization Matters

This innovative technology allows for shift resizing and adapts to provide a perfect fit or personalized position fit.

“Sizes differ a lot. In standard production, fixed products are the norm, requiring many size variations to meet demand. However, in our case, we incorporate technology inside the shaft part of boots, for instance. Our technology enables shift resizing and adapts to a perfect fit or personalized position fit. This means that we don’t have to produce as many variations, and we guarantee the perfect fit for the end user. That’s the biggest difference, I’d say—the fact that production customization doesn’t exist today, and we enable it. With our technology you can just make a size-shift in one minute and you have the perfect fit.”

   Image: Nano Textile Solutions-Equestrian Boots

Nano Textile Solutions’ Expansion Across Sportswear and Medical Fields

Nano Textile Solutions focused on equestrian boots as a proof of concept, investing significant effort and resources. However, they aim to expand into other segments within the outdoor sports performance industry, such as footwear and protective garments like vests. Sam highlights the demand for perfect fit in products like motorbike suits, which not only enhances performance but also extends the product’s lifecycle, justifying a higher price point.

Looking ahead, they see potential in the medical market, particularly in orthopedic applications such as orthoses and prosthetics. 

“Creating assistive equipment using our technology could be a game-changer globally. In 5 years, I hope that we’ve penetrated as many segments as possible within footwear and protective gear. Our vision is to create a unicorn within 10 years, but the focus isn’t just on financial success—it’s on making a real impact on sustainability”- claimed Sam.

Nano Textile Advice For Entrepreneurs

Sam shared his vision with us and explained what he considered the most important points to take into account: 

“If you’re embarking on a journey like this, you’d better be an expert in it. You need to know what you’re doing, maybe even better than anyone else. And patience is key—it often takes longer than expected, especially in materials like what we’re dealing with. Plus, it requires significant financial investment”- said Sam.

Also, he commented how important it is to have the right team with you:

“It’s not a solo endeavor; you need a great team around you with complementary skills. Ideally, start with at least three people so you can cover all the necessary competencies and then expand gradually”- advised Sam.

Nano Textile Solutions and Strata

They initially connected through a mutual contact who recommended reaching out to Strata. Sam finds working with Strata to be highly rewarding:

“It’s been incredibly helpful for us. It all started with a contact who suggested I talk to David first, and I’m so glad I did. From the get-go, David and his team showed a keen understanding of our innovative system and how we could tap into funding programs in Europe. What’s most valuable is that we’ve learned a lot about ourselves through this partnership. Working with Strata has pushed us to think about things we wouldn’t normally consider because we’re not there yet. They’re helping us glimpse into the future, identifying areas where we need to improve now rather than later. That’s been incredibly positive for us, and we’re grateful for the collaboration with Strata”- concluded Sam.

Article and interview by Damla Yildirim