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In the fashion industry, 92 million tons of textile waste are produced every year. For Bethany Meuleners, Apparel and Textile Design &amp; Development Lead at Variloom, this isn't just a problem to be managed—it’s an industry ripe for reinvention.In a recent interview with&nbsp;Sourcing Journal, Bethany shared how Variloom, a Moon Creative Lab venture, is utilizing 3D printing and biobased materials to unlock a faster, cleaner, and more responsive future for fashion.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img style="aspect-ratio:4234/6351;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Variloom0069_3_5e38852ea8.jpeg" alt="Variloom0069 3.jpeg" width="4234" height="6351"></figure><h3>Innovation Beyond the Label</h3>One of the biggest misconceptions in the industry is that a "sustainable material" label makes a product responsible. “In reality, true sustainability goes far beyond the material itself. It begins at the design stage, by considering durability, understanding consumer needs so the product is genuinely valued and used, and making intentional choices about where and how it is produced. It continues throughout the supply chain, from manufacturing and distribution to how the product reaches the consumer, and ultimately, how it is handled at the end of its life,” Bethany explains.&nbsp;Variloom’s approach centers on an on-demand 3D printing system. By producing customizable soft goods on-demand and on-site, brands can design and manufacture fabrics in days rather than months, and with a lot less waste. Reducing the need for inventory and bringing manufacturing closer to the consumer, Variloom’s process minimizes reliance on offshore manufacturing.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:6720/4480;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Variloom0063_2_1_5a0fb8a82a.jpg" alt="Variloom0063 2 (1).jpg" width="6720" height="4480"></figure><h3>Closing the Loop</h3>In addition to its printing system, another facet of Variloom is its patent-pending soft, recyclable material. Developed using biobased thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and a proprietary blend of responsibly sourced natural additives and fibers, the material offers the stretch and performance consumers expect, but in a more sustainable, circular way. At a product’s end-of-life, the material can be recycled up to three times without losing its integrity.<blockquote>“A large share of waste happens on the consumer side.”&nbsp;</blockquote>“A large share of waste happens on the consumer side, often because people do not know what to do with a product at the end of its life. There is an opportunity to design products and create systems that make end-of-life solutions approachable and accessible for consumers.”&nbsp;<h3>A Personal Commitment to Purpose</h3>For Bethany, the philosophy of sustainability extends beyond the lab. Her own personal approach to clothing involves buying less, choosing quality staples, and caring for her clothing.&nbsp;“I have a very loved denim shirt that after several years, has now become my all-purpose yard work, crafting, and anything-messy shirt,” she shares. "How you care for your clothing is just as important to sustainability as what you purchase.”&nbsp;<blockquote>“Sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of&nbsp;great design.”</blockquote><h3>The Path Forward</h3>While sustainability is the core of Variloom’s mission, that doesn’t mean design comes secondary. As Bethany mentioned, it is all intertwined from the very beginning. From its 3D printing system to the patented soft material to a product’s end-of-life, Variloom has created a fully circular way of manufacturing textiles, all while keeping great fashion design at the forefront. “Sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of great design. With the flexibility of the Variloom technology, we aim to expand the possibilities for bespoke design while giving both designers and customers more freedom and customization. For us, sustainability and good design go hand in hand.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Make sure to follow&nbsp;<a href="https://www.variloom.com/">Variloom</a> to stay updated on the latest developments and news.&nbsp;

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<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:4032/3024;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Sustainability_3a4ebc9253.jpg" alt="Sustainability.jpg" width="4032" height="3024"></figure>Fashion is cyclical. What’s old becomes new again. Remember when everyone had a custom-made suit or a tailored dress? That made-to-order garment didn’t just fit better, it had higher value, lasted longer, and held meaning—quite the opposite of fast fashion that has too long plagued the fashion industry. Soon, that era of premium, enduring design will be making a comeback. Only this time, it will not only be driven by fashion or trend, but by technology aligned with circular economy principles.&nbsp;<h3>The Scale of the Problem and the Opportunity</h3>Global fiber production hit 124 million tons in 2023, translating into roughly 100 billion garments a year. Yet, fast fashion has hollowed out use;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive">studies</a> show clothing use has fallen nearly 40%, while production has doubled over the last 15 years.Less than 1% of textiles make it back into new fibers, driving what the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/">Ellen MacArthur Foundation</a> calls a $500 billion lost value annually due to underuse and poor recyclability. Meanwhile, cutting-room waste eats up 10-15% of fabric before a garment even exists. That’s both a problem and an opportunity for innovators to rethink the system.&nbsp;<h3>Variloom’s Twist on a Classic: Tailored Meets Tech</h3>Enter Variloom, which is working to resurrect that bespoke spirit—tailored perfection that is 3D-printed to shape, customizing each product for design, fit, function, and future reuse.Variloom created a patent-pending filament and designed a 3D-printing system for soft goods. From bio-based plastics to textile and agro waste, Variloom owns the stack: formulation → material production → print. Reduced cutting waste, elimination of bulk greige textiles, reduced or no production MOQ, or huge merchandise inventory. They can embed trims directly into the structure, creating mono-material garments designed for easy recycling.This isn’t just theory. It’s a rebalance: bringing manufacturing back into closer proximity to customers, treating every garment as a valuable, long-lived piece, and not just a disposable trend.&nbsp;<h3>Weaving Voices Into the Narrative</h3>Moon’s discussion panel on sustainability brought this vision into sharper focus, where industry experts from Earthletica, Koobz, Rip Curl, Variloom, and YKK shared their journeys in sustainable fashion.&nbsp;<h4>Circularity Begins Long Before Manufacturing</h4>The panel emphasized that sustainable product lifecycles have to be designed starting from the materials stage, and it is not a matter of trying to retrofit them later.Rip Curl and Earthletica both shared how upstream decisions like fiber selection, trims, construction, and even end-of-life disassembly have become central to their creative processes. Earthletica’s success with YKK’s new Aerie® String zipper (a no-tape, recycled fastener) demonstrated that functionality and circularity can co-exist and improve product performance simultaneously.&nbsp;<h4>The Biggest Sustainability Problem? Overproduction</h4>It is noted that forecast-driven manufacturing leads to at least some percentage of apparel never being sold. And it ultimately ends up being destroyed or in landfills.While on-demand and made-to-order models are promising, major brands still remain tied to legacy inventory systems. This gap between technological capability and operational readiness remains one of the sector’s toughest bottlenecks. Made-to-order production by brands like Koobz can help to avoid supply-chain bottlenecks while actively reducing waste and ensuring fewer garments end up in landfills.&nbsp;<h4>Technology Is Reshaping the Supply Chain</h4>From AI-driven forecasting to digital twins, electrified dye processes, and 3D-printed apparel components, technology emerged as a key enabler of a lower-carbon future.The Variloom team discussed how additive manufacturing enables monomaterial garments, making disassembly and recycling far easier. And other panelists also highlighted the promise of 3D digital sampling. AI may be able to assist with trend forecasting and virtual product testing that can offer new ways to prevent overproduction and gather early consumer feedback before manufacturing begins.&nbsp;<h4>Fast Fashion’s Impact Is Worse Than Planned Obsolescence</h4>Panelists emphasized that apparel’s issue is not intentionally short product lifespans (as seen in tech), but it is also because of ultra-short garment use cycles by consumers, and a shockingly low wear countsIn contrast, heritage brands like Rip Curl maintain 60–70% evergreen product lines, prioritizing durability over rapid turnover.&nbsp;<h4>Everyone Has a Role, Not Just Designers</h4>While designers shape desirability and material choices, true sustainability requires participation throughout the ecosystem.From ensuring ethical material sourcing, VC-funding priorities, to consumer behavior, the panel emphasized shared accountability from all stakeholders.The panel underscored an encouraging truth: the tools, technologies, and ideas needed for a circular future already exist. What’s required now is alignment—across designers, brands, suppliers, regulators, and consumers—to scale those solutions responsibly.Sustainability isn’t a trend. It’s the blueprint for the industry’s survival—and its greatest opportunity for reinvention.What emerged from the conversation is that circularity cannot be bolted onto business-as-usual, and it has to be embedded earlier at the design stage. If it can be printed to shape, produce only what is needed, and bring supply chains closer to the consumer, waste would stop being inevitable. Policies like the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250905IPR30172/parliament-adopts-new-eu-rules-to-reduce-textile-and-food-waste">EU’s mandate for separate textile collection</a> are pushing the industry forward, but real change will come from how we choose to design, produce, and consume.&nbsp;<h4>Circularity and Tailor-Made Trends: A Perfect Match</h4>Here’s where fashion’s repetitiveness becomes powerful. Bespoke isn’t just about luxury; it is about choosing quality, longevity, and fit. It is a mindset shift from mass-produced leftovers to made-for-you pieces. When matched with zero-waste design and circular streams, like what Variloom is doing, bespoke becomes a tool against landfills and overproduction.Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s model of the circular fashion economy urges this shift: design for reuse, materials that can be remade again, and business models that extend garment life through longevity, repair, or recycling. Making garments to last, whether they are printed on demand or custom-tailored, is rediscovering that value mindset of past generations.We’ve come full circle, fashion is returning to what it always was: personal, handcrafted, meaningful. Now it’s faster, cleaner, smarter. Bespoke is back, but with fabrics that can loop back, tech that makes it feasible, and circular systems that make it sustainable.The future of fashion is not fast, linear, or disposable. It is slow where it matters, smart where it counts, and circular by design. At Variloom, the vision is simple: fewer boxes in warehouses, fewer off-cuts on factory floors, and fewer garments destined for landfills. By pairing material innovation with localized, on-demand production, they can create products that delight customers while honoring the planet.&nbsp;We stand at an intersection where custom meets consciousness, where trends repeat, but this time, with purpose. Let’s walk through that front door of design, fully aware that better fashion means fewer boxes in the warehouse, fewer gowns in the trash, and more soul in what we wear.

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A huge congratulations goes to Variloom, a Moon Creative Lab venture, for being named an honoree in the <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list">Fast Company 2025 Innovation by Design Awards</a>! <a href="https://www.variloom.com/">Variloom</a> is helping the fashion industry reduce production waste, minimize excess inventory, and reliance on offshore manufacturing through the creation of its first two innovations: 3D printing and a recyclable, customizable material.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/900;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Variloom_Fast_Co_thumb_2455f19f46.png" alt="Variloom Fast Co thumb.png" width="1600" height="900"><figcaption>Variloom's patent-pending recyclable filament used to create custom 3D-printed garments.</figcaption></figure>Now in its 14th year, the Innovation by Design Awards celebrate the designers and businesses addressing today’s most urgent challenges while anticipating the problems of tomorrow. The program is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the industry, spotlighting work that exemplifies originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural significance, and measurable business impact. Honorees, which include nearly 300 projects, products, and services from The New York Times, Jones Knowles Ritchie, Adobe, and others, were selected by a panel of leading designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors.&nbsp; Variloom’s on-demand and on-site 3D print-to-shape fabrication system for how soft goods and apparel are made, gives brands and suppliers the ability to design and produce customizable, recyclable fabrics in days instead of months, all while bringing the manufacturing closer to the consumer. The system is capable of printing across a range of sizes from small components to large-format fabrics, enabling bespoke creations and custom-designed details for everything from shirts and pants to handbags and shoes, all while integrating seamlessly into existing supply chains. &nbsp; “When Moon Creative Lab was first founded by Mitsui &amp; Co., it was meant to create big and bold businesses that would have an exponential impact on the world,” said Mary Ann Gallo, Chief Growth Officer, Moon Creative Lab. “Variloom is a venture that is doing just that. WIth its patent-pending soft material and 3D printing system, Variloom is helping brands reduce waste, shorten lead times, and remove the need for large inventory positions, while also supporting sustainable, customizable production closer to the consumer.” Fast Company’s editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan explains “The Innovation by Design Awards celebrate bold ideas and work that proves design is a true driver of business and societal progress. This year’s honorees show how creative thinking can unlock new markets, build stronger organizations, and deliver meaningful impact at scale.”&nbsp; Head <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list">here</a> to see the complete list of winners and honorees, and read about the winners in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine on newsstands September 23, 2025.&nbsp;If you'd like to receive the latest updates from Moon Creative Lab,&nbsp;please sign up to be a Moon Community Member <a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1OHQANbcgR9q4ky5Q4M6wMQcxaid ">here</a>. We'll send you invitations to speaker events featuring industry pioneers, panel discussions, new ventures, and more.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:3024/4032;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/IMG_3695_1_427bf48618.jpeg" alt="IMG_3695 (1).jpeg" width="3024" height="4032"></figure>Moon Creative Lab recently presented to Stanford University’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stanfordfashionx.com/">FashionX</a> group, a student-led, pre-professional group focused on innovation in fashion design. The discussion dove into the intersection of sustainability and technology in fashion, with a spotlight on 3D printing. The fashion industry, long marred by significant material waste, sees much of its surplus end up in landfills, a problem ripe for innovation.Lovette Appleton, Sr. Product Developer at Moon Creative Lab,&nbsp;explored the pressing need for sustainable material alternatives in fashion, highlighting how this mission aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, which advocates for sustainable consumption and production patterns. The emphasis of the discussion was on how 3D printing could radically transform the future of fashion by disrupting traditional manufacturing and the fashion supply chain.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/1200;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/variloom_2_use_dac4ee2369.png" alt="variloom 2 use.png" width="1600" height="1200"></figure>Traditional fashion manufacturing often yields excessive material waste with designers forced to cut from bulk materials, leaving scraps and unused remnants. By contrast, 3D printing offers a precision-focused solution, enabling designers to build garments and accessories layer by layer, using only the materials required. Materials used in 3D printing allow for reusing and recycling, embedding sustainability not only into the reduction of waste during the production process but also into the end-of-life of the product as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;Moon Creative Lab’s sustainable 3D printed fashion venture,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mooncreativelab.com/stories/variloom-wins-ispo-2024">Variloom</a>, is tackling this problem and transforming the fashion industry by inventing new 3D-printable materials that create soft wearable fabrics that are fully recyclable.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1201/1600;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/unnamed_463dc1eb0b.png" alt="unnamed.png" width="1201" height="1600"></figure>We were thrilled to engage with students, answering their questions on scalability, material innovation, and the design possibilities of 3D-printed fashion. The collaboration highlighted the shared vision between academia and industry to pioneer advancements in sustainable practices. Stanford's FashionX students – future leaders in design and innovation – bring fresh perspectives to solving complex challenges like waste reduction in fashion. These discussions open up exciting pathways to reimagine how fashion can evolve in a resource-conscious world, aligning with Moon Creative Lab's mission to drive purposeful innovation that contributes to a more sustainable planet.&nbsp;Learn more about Variloom at&nbsp;<a href="http://variloom.com">variloom.com</a>.

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Congratulations to Moon venture, <a href="https://www.variloom.com/">Variloom</a>, for winning the <a href="https://www.ispo.com/en/promotion/ispo-award-winner-rip-curl-mirage-3d-boardshort">ISPO 2024 Award</a>! Every year, the ISPO award honors outstanding products in the sporting goods industry — past recipients include North Face, Kathmandu, Arc'teryx, and Puma. Variloom, along with Rip Curl and Bilio, has received this year’s award for the creation of the Mirage3DP Boardshort, which integrates 3D printing technology and sustainable materials into an innovative boardshort that sets a new standard for comfort, durability, and eco-friendly design. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:512/341;" src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ISPO_award_e469d5f881.jpg" alt="ISPO award.jpg" width="512" height="341"><figcaption>From left: Danit Peleg (3D Printed Fashion Designer), Bethany Meuleners (Senior Product Development Lead, Moon), Milan Thompson (Global Head of Product Innovation &amp; Sustainability, Rip Curl), Kaichi Yokoyama (CEO, Moon), Billy Smith (Founder &amp; CEO, Bilio)</figcaption></figure>Using Variloom’s filament and 3D printing technology, the Mirage3DP boardshorts feature a 3D waistband for stability in the water, integrated panels for fit and ventilation, and a recyclable blend of bio-based TPU and wool for comfort and durability. “Winning the ISPO award for our innovations in sustainable 3DP material, production, and design is an amazing honor, and we could not be more pleased to receive this recognition with our partners Rip Curl and Bilio,” said Kaichi Yokoyama, Chief Executive Officer, Moon Creative Lab. “The Mirage3DP Boardshort made with Variloom’s 3D-printable materials is breaking ground for unrivaled comfort, resilience, fit, and performance. We will continue to work closely with Rip Curl to give customers completely on-demand, customizable, and 100% 3D printed and circular products made from sustainable materials.”&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Mirage3dp_shorts_c37d33954b.png" alt="Mirage3dp shorts.png">In addition to its innovative filament, Variloom is further transforming the fashion industry by creating new systems and processes to bring production closer to the consumer and make circularity a reality. The patent-pending 3DP filament and print system balances softness, stretch, and adaptable performance by utilizing bio-based TPU with carefully selected natural additives and fibers. Variloom’s 3D printing technology will offer on-demand, on-site, print-to-shape 3D fabrication that exponentially reduces production waste, lead times, product inventory, and dependence on offshore manufacturing by bringing customizable production closer to consumers.To close the loop and improve circularity for a product’s end of life, goods made with the Variloom filament can easily be returned and recycled.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/MIRAGE_3_DP_INT_EXT_2_76bd96cf7c.png" alt="MIRAGE3DP_INT_EXT 2.png">“Our Variloom patents cover a number of ways to produce 3D printed textiles that are flexible, soft to the touch, and wearable with adaptable performance,” said Bethany Meuleners, venture lead, Sustainable Fashion, Moon Creative Lab. “The ISPO Award is a tremendous recognition of the work Moon, Rip Curl, and Bilio are doing in the area of sustainable and high-performance apparel and materials. We will be continuing to improve our capabilities and speed in our processes through innovations in revolutionary machinery to create and fully recycle these fabrics.”See Bethany talk more about Variloom in <a href="https://youtu.be/uMI13osJArI?si=qb5Ck69bIHbXbTjg">this video</a> and look out for the Mirage3DP boardshort, available in 2026.&nbsp;About Variloom Variloom is transforming the fashion industry by creating new systems and processes to bring production closer to the consumer and make circularity a reality. Variloom’s patent pending 3DP filament and print system balances softness, stretch and adaptable performance by utilizing bio-based TPU with carefully selected natural additives and fibers. The future of Variloom and 3D printing in soft goods offers on-demand, on-site, print-to-shape 3D fabrication that exponentially reduces production waste, lead times, product inventory, and dependence on offshore manufacturing by bringing customizable production closer to the consumer. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.variloom.com">www.variloom.com</a>.

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Fashion On-Demand: A Conversation With Variloom

The Future of Fashion Is Circular by Design

Moon Venture Variloom Is an Honoree in the Fast Company 2025 Innovation by Design Awards!

Exploring Innovation: Stanford's FashionX Students Visit Moon for a Deep Dive Into Sustainable Fashion

Moon Venture Wins Innovation Award for Groundbreaking Surfwear

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