Unspun names former The North Face executive as CEO

US-founded B-corp-certified apparel technology company Unspun has appointed former The North Face and Boardriders executive Arne Arens as its new chief executive officer, as it looks to accelerate the shift from offshore overproduction to US-based manufacturing.

Arens, who has decades of experience leading global consumer apparel brands, has been brought on to guide Unspun’s next phase of growth as it scales automated, localised manufacturing infrastructure for the apparel industry.

He spent more than a decade at outdoor brand The North Face, where he serves as global brand president, and led the company through a period of significant global growth. He then went on to become CEO of Boardriders, the global action sports and lifestyle company behind Quiksilver, Billabong, and Roxy, leading the business through its acquisition by Authentic Brands Group.

Commenting on his new role, Arens said in a statement: "I have spent a good part of my career working with some of the world's leading apparel and footwear brands and have seen firsthand the economic and environmental costs of excessively long lead times and chronic overproduction in the traditional supply chain.

"Unspun's manufacturing model fundamentally transforms how and where products are made, unlocking meaningful financial benefits and significantly reducing the industry's carbon footprint. I am honoured to lead Unspun at this pivotal moment and look forward to scaling our proven model into broad, lasting industry impact."

Former The North Face and Boardriders executive Arne Arens joins apparel tech start-up Unspun

As the fashion industry navigates increasing volatility, tariffs, and pressure to reduce excess inventory and its impact on the environment, the California-based technology innovator is positioning manufacturing as modern infrastructure, enabling apparel to be made faster, closer to demand, and with less waste.

It believes that apparel manufacturing, which is currently produced 6 to 12 months before it reaches shelves, could be done through automated, localised production, utilising software and hardware-driven systems, such as its proprietary 3D weaving technology, Vega, which weaves semi-finished products directly from yarn in minutes, to enable garments to be produced closer to demand to replace long, offshore production cycles.

This speed-based model lowers inventory risk, reduces overproduction and the apparel supply chain's carbon footprint, and can improve gross margins by 400–500 bps through fewer markdowns and write-offs, adds the company.

Currently, Unspun’s technology is already being piloted with global retailers, including Walmart and Decathlon.

Kevin Martin, co-founder and chief technology officer of Unspun, added: “Arne is a proven industry leader who understands both brand building and the structural challenges of apparel supply chains.

"His leadership will help us accelerate deployment of our technology and partner with more brands and manufacturers looking for a smarter way to produce."

The appointment of Arne as CEO follows Chris Blakeslee, former Athleta president and chief executive, joining Unspun’s board of directors in October 2025.