Automated Textile Manufacturing Without Sewing

Specialty Fabrics Review

Could on-demand automated no-sew apparel production bring some manufacturing back to the United States? CreateMe’s automated system integrates robotics and adhesives to enable fast, local and highly customizable production. The company’s Modular-engineering Robotic Assembly system, called MeRA™, debuted this past fall using its proprietary micro-adhesive technology Pixel™.

“This is not automation for automation’s sake,” says Nick Chope, chief engineer and head of manufacturing at CreateMe in a release about the technology. “It’s automation built for how clothes should be made: customized, precise and close to the consumer.”

Its first product was in women’s intimate apparel. The system for that product runs end to end without human assistance. Plans are to pilot T-shirt production in the first quarter of 2026. That manufacturing requires some operator input at certain assembly points. Printing or decoration would be additional steps.

The micro-adhesive creates bonded seams less than a millimeter wide, giving garments a “seamless” feel to the wearer. Being bonded instead of sewn eliminates thread and seam tape and supports end-of-life recyclability by allowing materials to separate cleanly.

The company says the automated T-shirt system needs only 1,200 square feet and expects to compete with offshore manufacturing because its production speeds are 20 times faster than manual sewing. Without offshore labor, speed to market could be reduced from months to days, also eliminating the carbon emissions used to transport products around the world.

Capacity expansion will be a focus of 2026 with tech advancements and T-shirt mass production planned for 2027.

Automotive seating and furniture are also in the company’s sights. CreateMe has had inquiries about capabilities with automotive soft goods handling, especially following tariff announcements in April 2025. It is seeking early engagement development partners with expertise in technology development and new product introduction as well as licensing. These partnerships will be critical in advancing technical textiles and accelerating adoption in these segments, says Cam Myers, CreateMe CEO and founder.

The company was recently accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program, a community of startups.

Personnel news

In December the company announced the promotion of Nick Chope to chief engineer and head of manufacturing and Natasha Chand to executive advisor.

In this new, expanded role, Chope will focus on accelerating the development of next-generation Physical AI tools that teach robotic systems to see, grasp and manipulate fabrics. With more than 20 years of experience in robotics, automation, and apparel—including roles at Apple, Microsoft, and Tegra, and nearly five years with CreateMe—he has consistently identified opportunities to modernize manufacturing methods and innovate through automation and adhesive assembly.

Natasha Chand joins as an executive advisor, having served as the former global CEO of Amazon Softlines Private Label (apparel, footwear and accessories) and as a former board member at HanesBrands.

This article was posted on February 1, 2026. CreateMe is a member of SPESA.

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