The textile industry, for centuries, has been synonymous with tradition and established practices. But amidst the looms and threads, a new wave of innovation is surging, driven by leaders who dare to challenge the status quo. Sara Rosberg, the Founder and CEO of Transforming Textiles, is at the forefront of this movement.
Sara’s story, one of personal transformation and a relentless pursuit of a better future, is woven into the very fabric of her revolutionary company.
Inspired by her pioneering approach, we at IMPAAKT got into a conversation with her to unveil the story behind Transforming Textile.
Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Prior to Transforming Textiles, your background wasn’t in textiles. What inspired this leap into this industry, and how did you leverage your previous experience?
My career in Fashion began in my late teens where I studied Fashion Design and worked in the Textile and Fashion Industry. I felt a calling very early to work with textiles and later discovered that my biological mother from Sri Lanka (where I am adopted from) was a Saari Designer. So, my creative and textile genes stem from her.
I worked many years in Fashion in London, Italy and Sweden, before I decided to start a family.
Sadly, I had severe health problems during these years (As I have MS), and I ended up in a wheelchair. This led me to get an HSCT (StemCell) treatment which saved my life in 2017 and I regained my walking ability and reversed my MS from an EDSS scale of 6,5 to 0. You can read more about this story under Designer Bio at www.Modality.store. After the treatment I wanted to get back into Fashion Design and Textiles, but my mother was ill and Covid broke out.
In 2020, my mother was isolated in an elderly home, and I was unable to see her at what was to become the end of her life. I saw the struggles for both her and many others, as well as the healthcare staff and carers. I kept thinking that there must be a better way to protect our loved ones. And since my main background was in Textiles I began exploring if there was a possibility to replace the disposable tests with a textile and get real-time answers to your mobile.
I teamed up with Space Engineer Marcelo Boldt and later Head of Manufacturing Tahir Haytoglu, and Sense-Tex was created.
Sense-Tex is a revolutionary technology. Can you walk us through the thought process behind its development and the biggest challenges you faced in bringing it to market?
The initial idea was to create a smart textile that would protect you from viruses and signal to your mobile if you were showing symptoms of infection. In the first MVP, we encountered that traditional manufacturing processes resulted in Micro fragments of the silver coating being released from the fibres and ended up in our drinking water.
This was very concerning, especially since so much silver is used in textiles and we needed to solve this problem and ensure people’s safety. And from there we invented the 5-fibre yarn construction of Sense-Tex that shields us from this. We also produced Sense-Tex without adding any chemicals or dyes, making it even safer.
There’s a natural skepticism towards new inventions. How are you building trust and encouraging widespread adoption of Sense-Tex among fashion brands and consumers?
We are aware that we live in a time where false news and greenwashing are part of our everyday lives. Transforming Textiles operates in 3 main verticals, Space, Healthcare and the Textile industry.
Our approach to the market has been transparent, with all our test results. We have created a website just for Sense-Tex, where we have uploaded all of our R&D and Academic Sources of information; so those who are interested can follow our process on how we reached the conclusions that Sense-Tex is safe to use and enhances your health, based on the results of the tests and research. If you want to read more about it, please visit www.Sense-Tex.com.
Leading a company at the cutting edge requires a unique approach. What leadership qualities and company culture have you fostered at Transforming Textiles to drive innovation?
Inclusion is embedded in all we do, and I would say it is not just a mindset but our driving force. All decisions made within TT are done with a mindset that wants a socially sustainable future. A future where we create new spaces for all to join, and not force people into old formats and spaces.
I have also not settled for old norms dictating our direction. Just because it has not been done before, or aims to be done in a novel way, it does not mean it can’t be done. Right now, we are in 3 verticals at the same time and have created a multifunctional yarn that lends itself to many industries. If I had listened to all the voices telling me to “focus on one industry” or “skip Fashion”, or the classic one “you can’t be in 3 verticals at the same time, that is unfocused”, I would not have been here. Yet, here we are 4 years later doing just that and more.
What were some of the significant challenges you faced as a CEO, and how did you overcome them?
I did not plan to become a CEO when I founded TT, but I took on the role until I could find a suitable candidate to step in once we secured funding. However, securing funding was hard. After a while, I grew into the role of CEO, but we continued to search for funding.
Someone once said that going into business with someone is like a marriage, and you want to be careful whom you select.
Today we are still in dialogue regarding investments but haven’t yet to this date found our perfect match.
Sustainability is becoming a priority for many textile companies. How does Transforming Textiles differentiate itself in this crowded landscape?
We differentiate ourselves in the whole supply chain, but also with our recycling solution. We discovered during our R&D phase that Sense-Tex enabled mechanical recycling in a new format.
So not only did we source certified and biobased fibres (That can be produced and recycled both on earth and in Space) while creating the yarn and fabric, but also removed the chemicals from the production. This resulted in a sustainable certified product that lasts longer than cotton. To put it into perspective, a cotton T-shirt lasts 30 washes at 40 Degrees Celsius. Sense-Tex was washed over 47 times at 70 degrees and 80 degrees tumble drying before any variations appeared.
What are some of the biggest challenges you anticipate for the smart textiles market in the coming years, and how is Transforming Textiles preparing to address them?
The changing legal landscape in the EU with the Textile EPR and DDP amongst many other EU directives are forcing textile producers to take responsibility for their produced garments, but also their textile waste.
Many companies solve this with chemical solutions, but in our opinion, fibre-to-fibre mechanical recycling is the most sustainable path forward, and what we are working towards. One of the great challenges for us and other companies in the industry will be to not only create this technology but also a maintenance system that involves collecting waste, while also finding a system that works with the consumers to easily recycle their textiles in their everyday lives.
How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance while managing the demands of being a CEO?
It is a challenge like it is for everyone working in a demanding role, and there is no life hack to share. I take one day at a time, and one problem at a time to not be overwhelmed.
What does the future hold for smart textiles? How do you see Sense-Tex, and similar technologies, revolutionizing the way we interact with clothing?
Our ambition at TT has always been for Sense-Tex to serve the greater good, and help as many people as possible in various ways. Many exciting things are on the horizon, and we look forward to sharing them with you all in the near future.
As a woman leading a tech-driven company, what advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs looking to break barriers in their fields?
A door that closes, is not a failure, just part of the path you need to walk to get to your destination. If the door does not open, don’t force it. Trust that the door which is right for you is out there and already open, and there is a force greater than you leading you there (even if you can’t see it). Whatever awaits behind your door, may it be failure or success, embrace learning. Because when you learn you never fail. Open your door with courage, enter it with love, and then step into the world and create your own roads.
