Image by imogo

18 June 2024

Can you tell us about imogo, how it started, and what the organisation does?

Imogo started back in 2018, founded by a group of three with extensive experience from two different sectors: spray technology and the textile industry, focusing on the complex processes of dyeing and finishing fabrics.

Together, they invented, designed, and manufactured a technology and process to apply dyes and finishing products to textiles via spray.

What problem is your innovation solving and how does the technology work?  

The textile industry is notorious for its high energy and water consumption, along with the extreme amounts of polluted water resulting from its various production processes.

To meet strict environmental goals while also accommodating growing future production demands, change is necessary. Today, the industry is somewhat old school, relying on outdated and extremely energy-intensive technology. Implementing change within this conservative industry, which hasn’t seen major inventions in decades, is challenging. To break through, we needed a solution that presents value for all parties involved: the brand, the producer, and the end customer.

The imogo technology offers major savings by reducing harmful chemicals, significantly reducing the amount of fresh water needed, and almost eliminating toxic wastewater.

Additionally, by slightly altering traditional production processes, our technology can cut energy usage in half, and by as much as 90% if substantial changes are made.

Can you explain how the technology works?

The machine itself consists of several rollers that feed the fabric through the machine. During the process, a set number of spray nozzles located on both the front and the back of the fabric evenly distribute the dyes onto the fabric.

Each of these nozzles is carefully controlled by an electric valve, pulsing out just the right amount of dyestuff to ensure the fabric is evenly covered and fully penetrated.

By only applying the exact amount needed and by immediately “forcing” the dyes onto the fabric, all excess fluids are eliminated in the first step, heavily reducing the resources needed to wash out excess dyestuff and evaporate major amounts of excess water from the fabrics.

What have been the biggest successes so far? 

Over the last couple of years, we have seen tremendous interest from the market, primarily driven by the brands themselves. The industry has welcomed us with open arms. Today, we are engaged in various projects and deals with several renowned brands, including some of the top French luxury fashion houses, all aiming to make real change and meet rigorous sustainability goals.

We have a few installations up and running in various parts of the world, dyeing and applying finishing chemistry to different types of fabrics, and we are already seeing positive results at these sites.

Our pipeline is strong, but we are not rushing our expansion as our technology requires a culture change in some parts of the world to be fully adopted. Change takes time, and we all need to work together to make real and sustainable progress.

Imogo is committed to transforming the textile industry, and we firmly believe we can achieve this, but we need to take on this task bit by bit.

What role does collaboration play in bringing innovations to scale? 

Finding good and trusted partners to work with is crucial to breaking through. We have been fortunate to not only test but also further develop our technology and shape future best practices with some amazing partners and talents in the industry.

How has Fashion for Good played a role in your journey so far?

Fashion for Good has been a great partner and door-opener for Imogo, connecting a small innovator with a big industry. Their strong name and connections with several big brands have also helped us get in front of companies that want to change and have the capacity to do so.

What’s next for you? 

At this moment, we are focusing on finalizing a couple of deals and strategic partnerships that will open more opportunities for us. Internally, we are continuing to build Imogo as an organization and are seeking the right talent to join our team.