FASTSEWN
Imagine a production process where 2D sewing and cutting happen in one seamless, automatedoperation - no manual handling required.
Mikkelsen Innovation ApS is the company behind FASTSEWN™, delivering fully automated sewing and cutting solutions for the textile industry, designed to streamline production from printed rolls directly to finished products.
Traditional workflows involve multiple steps - cutting, moving, and then sewing - but FASTSEWN StitchNCut™ integrates everything into a single, efficient system.
By transforming the flatbed cutting table into a combined sewing and cutting station, including automated keder sewing for SEG (Silicone Edge Graphics) frames, our StitchNCut™ solution boosts speed, consistency, and labor efficiency.
A single operator can now manage tasks thatpreviously required several, reducing dependency on skilled labor while improving output quality.
FASTSEWN systems are available in 2 widths - 1.8m and 3.3m - with options for manual or motorized roll feeders and additional knife cutting tools.
Awards
PRINTING United Alliance Pinnacle Award 2026 Winner: In the "Technology" category
Wide Format Summit 2025 Winner: "Company to Watch" Award
Texprocess Innovation Award 2024 Winner: In the "Economic Quality" category
Upcoming Expos
FASTSEWN by Mikkelsen Innovation will be exhibiting at Printing United in Las Vegas, Booth C1042.
Aarhus, DK & Milwaukee, WI — September 2, 2026 — FASTSEWN will showcase the next generation of its flatbed automated textile finishing at PRINTING United 2026 with the U.S. debut demonstration of its innovative full 3.3M width StitchNCut™ flatbed sewing and laser cutting solution.
This solution is designed specifically for high-volume production of Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG), pillowcase graphics, and other grand-format and industrial textile applications.
The centerpiece of the launch will be live remote demonstrations from FASTSEWN’s headquarters, where attendees will see the company’s full-size StitchNCut 3.3-meter automated flatbed sewing and laser cutting system producing finished SEG graphics and pillow graphics under real market-based production conditions.
Arhus – Denmark – July 2026 – Mikkelsen Innovation ApS has announced that its FASTSEWN™ 3.3M has been named the recipient of the 2026 Pinnacle Award in the Technology category by PRINTING United Alliance.
The recognition highlights the machine's role in automating the final manual step in textile graphics production, combining automated sewing and laser cutting with keder application for silicone edge graphics (SEG).
Barcelona, Spain – May 2026 – Mikkelsen Innovation ApS has successfully introduced its revolutionary 3.3 by 3.3 metre FASTSEWN Silicone Edge Graphic (SEG) system to the global market during the FESPA 2026 exhibition in Barcelona.
The highly anticipated launch marked a critical step forward in addressing the pressing need for sustainable, efficient, and ethical manufacturing practices within the large-format printing and textile industries, with the industry response already exceeding all initial expectations.
Aarhus – Denmark – May 2026 – FASTSEWN has announced it will showcase its revolutionary fully automated sewing and cutting system at FESPA 2026 in Barcelona.
Located in Hall 3, Booth A144, the exhibition will demonstrate how manufacturers can seamlessly transition from raw rolls of textile to finished products in a single operation.
The event will also feature the world premiere of the brand-new FASTSEWN 33x33 SEG production system through exclusive remote demonstrations broadcast live from the company's facilities in Aarhus, Denmark.
Mikkelsen Innovation ApS has successfully concluded its showcase of the revolutionary FASTSEWN technology at two of the United States' premier industry events, PRINTING United Expo and the Advanced Textiles Association Expo.
The showcases generated significant interest, with industry professionals recognising its potential to transform textile production.
October 2025 – FASTSEWN, a pioneer in textile automation technology, today announced the U.S. debut of its patented roll-fed flatbed Sewing and Laser Cutting solution at Printing United, in Orlando from October 22nd-24th - Booth 848.
This groundbreaking integrated system addresses critical "last mile" challenges in wide-format textile production by automating sewing directly from rolls and immediately laser-cutting finished pieces under the control of a single operator.
Aarhus, Denmark - 8 September 2025 – FASTSEWN, a leading innovator in automated textile manufacturing solutions, has been recognised with the prestigious "Company to Watch Out For" award at the 2025 Wide Format SUMMIT by Printing United Alliance.
The Danish technology company earned the accolade following its successful debut presentation of its revolutionary sewing and laser cutting solution.
Colour Is Too Important to Leave to Chance
Print will always be the part of the garment people see first.
But the sum of all parts — the fabric, the trims, the fasteners, the finish — is what determines whether a design actually delivers on its promise. Brands that continue to treat colour as a single creative decision, rather than a coordinated technical discipline spanning their entire supply chain, will keep paying for it in re-dips, delays, and disappointed design teams.
A Century of Textiles, and an Ever-changing World
Few companies can trace their roots back more than a century and still count themselves among their industry's innovators. Texia, headquartered in Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain, is one of them.
But the story of Texia is not simply one of longevity.
It is a story of continual reinvention. As the textile industry has grown more global and competitive, Texia has repeatedly reshaped its business, investing in technology, developing its own brands, and placing sustainability at the centre of its mission. In doing so, it offers a compelling example of how a heritage manufacturer can lead rather than follow through a period of profound industry change. Image Credit: Texia
What are we craving Ultimately?
The instinct to slow down while simultaneously optimising every measurable aspect of life isn't a passing curiosity. It's a structural response to a world that feels increasingly unstable, and it's reshaping what people expect from their homes, hotels, workplaces and healthcare environments alike.
For the design and manufacturing sectors, this means rethinking both product and process.
The Structual Shift is Real and its Already Here
Volumes are moving east, where digital production is accelerating rapidly. Consumer behaviour has shifted.
Demand is now driven by personalisation, shorter buying cycles, and an expectation of near-instant responsiveness. Regulatory pressure is intensifying, with supply chain transparency now a legal and commercial fact in many markets. And margins? They are under sustained, structural pressure.
This is not a temporary disruption. It is a fundamental reordering of how textile manufacturing must operate.
The Challenge: Standing Firm as the Industry Shifts
The wallpaper landscape has changed dramatically. Digital printing has lowered the barrier to entry, spawning countless direct-to-consumer brands and pushing much of the market towards faster, cheaper production.
At the same time, manufacturing in the UK has grown steadily harder - rising minimum wage, national insurance, energy and substrate costs all bear down on margins. Surface Print have embraced all of these challenges - and stand resolutely prepared for the future.
From Helsinki's printing mill to Paris's Le Marais, discover how Marimekko is scaling a design-led brand with purpose, craft, and bold innovation.
But what makes Marimekko's story compelling is not just its aesthetic legacy?
The word "toxic" carries weight. It conjures danger, harm, and things best avoided.
“Yet in the textile industry - Where between 3,000 and 10,000 chemicals move through the supply chain, a reflexive fear of the term is one of our biggest obstacles to progress.”
This article distils the key takeaways and what buyers, designers, and brands should be asking right now.
What Is the Digital Product Passport?
At its core, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record attached to a physical product - For a printed textile product, this means the DPP would capture data on the substrate, inks and dyes used, the printing process and technology, chemical compliance, environmental impact (including water and energy use), supply chain traceability, and end-of-life instructions.
The Market Gap that Changed Everything
Future Fashion was founded in 2019, timed deliberately to coincide with a pivotal moment in global textile technology: the commercial launch of the EFI Reggiani BOLT Single-Pass digital printing system.
The founders recognised that single-pass architecture had fundamentally changed what was industrially possible - and that Pakistan's domestic market had yet to catch up.
Print is no longer defined by the inefficiencies that once characterised it…as advances in production processes and technology have significantly improved its environmental performance.
Taran Rai, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Epson explains why?
The story of what happens when young designers access digital technology is still being written.
What once was a theoretical sustainability goal seems to have shifted into an active regulatory reality.
Is the Textile Market Finally Recovering?
After a difficult few years, there are genuine reasons for optimism. Duncan was candid about the challenges: "The market for textiles has been very difficult over the last three years. I'm not going to hide the truth there. But the tide is turning.“
A profound shift is currently reshaping the sector
Changing consumer expectations demand greater design diversity, faster turnaround times, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
To thrive, interior brands must adapt their supply chains, bringing production closer to the end consumer and moving away from bulk manufacturing.
Digital textile printing offers a definitive solution to these operational bottlenecks.
Digital transformation doesn't announce itself.
It accumulates - one innovation at a time - until an entire industry looks back and realises the ground has shifted beneath its feet. That's precisely where textiles stands today.
The conversations happening now about AI, automation, sustainability, and digital product passports are not theoretical. They are shaping decisions being made on factory floors and in boardrooms right now.
“By leveraging advanced digital textile printing, Marylene Madou has successfully merged traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Her approach offers a blueprint for how independent designers can scale their brands globally while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.”
The textile industry is undergoing a vital transformation. As the insights from Techtextil and Texprocess reveal, the path forward relies on a combination of sustainable hardware, intelligent chemistry, and seamless digital workflows.
From Zimmer's industrial-scale energy reductions and Stratasys's on-demand 3D embellishments, to Kornit's single-step technical printing and the unified digital ecosystems of NedGraphics and Optitex, the tools for change are here. To stay competitive, brands and manufacturers must adopt these innovations, moving away from fragmented, wasteful processes towards a truly connected, circular economy.
Friedmans stands as a testament to the power of combining traditional textile knowledge with forward-thinking innovation.
“Operating from their UK headquarters, Friedmans now serves a diverse array of sectors, including swimwear, dance, entertainment, sportswear, interior decor, prosthetics, and even pet apparel. With a strategic supply chain that reliably serves clients worldwide”
The apparel decoration industry is decisively moving away from isolated, analogue production tools toward connected digital manufacturing environments.
"Kornit’s unwavering commitment to transformative technology continues to disrupt the status quo. For business leaders and innovators ready to capture the future of apparel manufacturing, the path forward is clear”
The Urgent Need for Sustainability at Scale
The transformation at Coats provides a vital blueprint for the wider textile and apparel sector. True sustainability cannot be achieved in silos. As Dearing emphasised:
“Cross-industry collaboration is the engine of meaningful change. Brands, machinery suppliers, chemical providers, and fibre producers must act as an interconnected ecosystem”
Today’s customers demand superior product quality, real-time data visibility, and lightning-fast turnaround times.
For large-scale garment decorators, managing these expectations while balancing seasonal demand fluctuations - such as the massive surges seen during Black Friday - presents a monumental challenge.
"Relying on transactional vendor relationships and outdated legacy equipment is no longer sufficient to secure long-term stability and growth.”
Printing method is never a secondary detail. It shapes the entire life cycle of a product, from concept to customer. In today’s fashion industry, where margins are tighter and speed matters more than ever, technical knowledge has become a competitive advantage.
“The future of textile design belongs to professionals who can combine creativity with execution, aesthetics with practicality, and vision with production reality”.