UK’s Unmade is acquired by Hi-Tech Apparel

A majority stake in UK Software company Unmade has been acquired by global garment maker Hi-Tech Apparel as it continues to expand.

The software business enables sportswear brands such as New Balance and Decathlon and fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren to offer customised clothing on-demand.

Its technology enables brands “to turn designs into manufacturing-ready data, lowering minimum order quantities, reducing waste, and boosting manufacturers’ responsiveness”.

The award-winning tech company was founded in 2014 by Hal Watts, Kirsty Emery-Laws and Ben Alun-Jones, and had previously raised £15 million from Octopus Ventures, Felix Capital, MMC Ventures, Local Globe and Connect Ventures. 

Decathlon has also previously invested and after the acquisition, the sports giant will remain a shareholder “with Unmade retaining the autonomy to work with any brand or manufacturer”. 

The company said the deal values it at 10 times its revenue, and offers Thailand-based conglomerate and supplier Hi-Tech Apparel “a huge opportunity to build a digital-first, globally distributed manufacturing model to meet customer demand”. 

Unmade’s UK-based team, led by CEO Hal Watts and COO Simon Rea, will stay with the business “to further develop the industry’s leading digital solution for personalised and customised apparel, boosted by a significant cash injection to propel growth with a series of new hires”.

The firm has worked with Hi-Tech for two years, “during which they have successfully delivered custom apparel to teams all the way from amateur clubs to professional athletes and everything in between,” we’re told.

Their coming together will now combine Hi-Tech’s manufacturing and logistics expertise with Unmade’s technologies “to create a market leading solution for brands and retailers looking for a better approach to teamwear and customisation”.

And Unmade’s team will have access to Hi-Tech’s “significant resources, expertise and customer base”. Hi-Tech Apparel generates over $300 million in annual sales and said it “shares Unmade’s vision to automate the manufacturing process”.