Resale robot 'Vnyx' photographs and prices second-hand clothing in two minutes
On the 25,000 square metre site of Milieuwerk, near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, a group of brand owners, textile processors and investors have gathered for the launch of Vnyx. This robot is set to transform resale into an attractive market.
Iced coffee and homemade pastries are ready for the attendees. From a two-metre-high mountain of clothes – discarded items from the metropolis – founders Vincent van der Holst and Romy Goedhart, the faces behind Vnyx, share their story. "Every three seconds, a truckload of textiles is dumped or incinerated worldwide. We have found a solution for that."
The entire team behind Vnyx consists of six people: instigators Romy Goedhart and Vincent van der Holst, Balazs Kosa (COO), Guus Balkema (CFO), Ramesh Kumar (CTO) and Hugo Honijk (chief robotics).
Vnyx is the name behind a series of innovative robots designed to help the resale market gain momentum in the coming years. Currently, it costs around 11 euros per garment to remove collected clothing from bales; sort it; clean it; photograph it; price it; relabel it and list it on a webshop, Goedhart later tells FashionUnited. The first bot, which the six-person start-up team worked on for two years, can do it faster and for a fraction of the cost.
"Robotics has always focused on making new, mass-produced fashion faster and cheaper," states Van der Holst. "Vnyx applies the technology on a large scale to second-hand items, overstock and returns." Additionally, AI can handle product photography and pricing, which are normally time-consuming, precise tasks.
Fleece for sale in two minutes
Not too much can be revealed about the Vnyx machine, says Van der Holst, as he demonstrates the latest version. Two patents were recently filed: one for the hanging system and another for the entire assembly line where the second-hand items are processed with the help of robots and AI.
Imagine a high monorail with stations. In one second, Van der Holst clicks a lava-print fleece jumper onto a 'smart' hanger, which opens automatically. The item passes through a photo studio, after which the computer can begin to determine its value. Shortly after, the webshop of Boas, the second-hand brand where it all began, appears on a large screen. The fleece costs 25.99 euros. It is already for sale.
Vnyx is not a sorting company. There are other established names for that, such as the nearby textile factory of Brightfiber Textiles, where all textiles from the city can be separated. Pre-sorted garments enter the front of the Vnyx system: items with a high probability of resale. In the future, this could be at a Zeeman or Vestiaire, with the machine located in their distribution centres.
AI
When scanning the clothing, AI reads a lot of data, including a reasonable selling price, the brand and the composition. This data is immediately integrated into the brand's system. Van der Holst: "Previously, resale was unprofitable because you had to figure out all those steps yourself, and it was cheaper to simply burn the items. We have managed to reduce the cost to a point where resale is profitable."
Each product also comes with five AI-generated photos in the system, presented on an attractive AI model. In addition, two real photos of the product itself are provided. "In times of fake news and AI, the customer also wants to see something tangible," says Van der Holst.
Without Boas, Vnyx would not have existed. During the two years it took to launch the second-hand clothing label, the founders did everything by hand. They learned a lot from this experience. For example, they learned about the importance of a flexible mannequin that can accommodate multiple silhouettes and sizes, otherwise photography takes too long. That insight came from Balazs Kosa, now COO at both start-ups. He devised the flexible 'e-mannequin', a stretchable dummy that can be 'dressed' at high speed in the studio, just like a photo model. This allows clothes to move through the machine at pace. Resale on the assembly line.
We R
At Milieuwerk, the Vnyx100 is on display. The first commercial version can upload up to a quarter of a million items per year to the websites of client brands. Vnyx retains ownership of the hardware and then charges per processed product. This way, the machine pays for itself quickly, and the brands do not have to come up with millions themselves, explains Van der Holst. "We are already running this system for Boas, Decathlon and Bever. With the largest system, we are targeting international fulfilment centres, major fashion brands and resale platforms, as well as sorting centres like the one here in Amsterdam." A pilot is also underway at one of the largest distribution centres in Europe, with 400 fashion brands as clients. He cannot disclose the name for now.
Behind the scenes, the next version, the Vnyx3000, is almost complete; it will be delivered in 2027. Milieuwerk has signed on for it: next year, three million garments will be processed at this location. A name has already been chosen for the collaboration: 'We R'. Van der Holst: "The robot takes away the tedious work and finally makes resale profitable, leaving more valuable work for the people at Milieuwerk." He is referring to tasks such as straightening the fabric or smoothing out a crease. That will soon be done in less than a minute, the founder promises. "We started with twenty minutes for the entire process, now it's down to two."
'Without automation, we will never make it'
One million euros have been invested in the research and development for the Vnyx100. The growth capital comes from a mix of angel investors, including Baltic Business Angels; impact partners such as Stichting DOEN and Earthstar; Squads; and Spark Design as an engineering investor, plus subsidies from the Dutch government (RVO).
For the next round, around 3 million euros in VC growth capital and another 2 million in European subsidies are planned to set up three large systems, the first of which has already been allocated.
Van der Holst is convinced that the machine can contribute to the European transition. "Without automation, we will never meet the European mandate to sell and recycle 55 percent of textiles. The strength of China – offshoring to a gigafactory – does not work here: second-hand is local, you do not transport a unique jacket halfway across the world."
This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
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