#Canada #Toronto #Centric PLM #Merino Wool #Unbound Merino

Unbound Merino Teams Up with Centric PLM to Elevate Quality and Efficiency

In a significant move to advance its operational capabilities, Unbound Merino has announced its collaboration with Centric Software, selecting Centric PLM™ as its product lifecycle management solution. The brand, known for its premium Merino wool apparel, aims to connect its product data, teams, and suppliers more effectively. This integration is crucial as Unbound Merino prepares to scale its business while maintaining the high quality that defines its offerings.

Founded in Toronto in 2016, Unbound Merino was established by three lifelong friends who shared a vision for creating functional yet stylish Merino wool clothing. Their collections are designed for travel, day-to-day wear, and active performance, resonating with a diverse customer base across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Over the past decade, Unbound Merino has experienced rapid growth, introducing quarterly collections along with numerous new styles each year.

As the brand expanded, it faced challenges associated with increasing product volume and complexity. Relying on disparate systems such as spreadsheets, emails, and manual workflows hampered visibility and collaboration among teams and suppliers. To mitigate these issues, Unbound Merino sought a scalable solution that could streamline product development and enhance operational efficiency, without compromising on quality or margins.

Centric PLM was chosen for its deep expertise in the apparel industry along with its ability to offer configurable workflows and seamless integration with existing systems. With it, Unbound Merino will establish a comprehensive source of truth that facilitates faster decision-making, particularly valuable as the company explores new markets. Andrew Cariboni, COO of Unbound Merino, remarked, “Centric felt built for the way an apparel business actually develops products.” This endorsement reflects the platform's capability to adapt to Unbound Merino's evolving needs.

A key feature of Centric PLM is its integration with Adobe Illustrator, which allows designers at Unbound Merino to access live product records while they work on technical sketches and design flats. This integration will significantly reduce the time spent on communication and file sharing, enhancing overall workflow efficiency.

Additionally, the Centric PLM External Vendor Portal will centralize supplier communications, approvals, and documentation, enabling teams to stay aligned and access the latest information. As Unbound Merino grows, these connected workflows are expected to bolster accuracy and consistency across development activities, strengthening the quality of their products.

Marni Zaretsky, Head of Brand at Unbound Merino, emphasizes the importance of a solid product development framework, stating, “A stronger product development foundation will give our teams a consistent way to work and make decisions.” This forward-thinking approach will, in turn, enable the brand to expand into new categories and styles while ensuring the seamless integrity of its product quality and customer expectations.

As Unbound Merino ventures further into new fabrics, fits, and colors, having connected product data will facilitate early visibility across the teams responsible for design, sourcing, supply chain, and inventory management. Given the precise nature of Merino wool development, this visibility is crucial in coordinating between fiber composition, fabric weight, construction techniques, performance, and cost.

Halla Koudsi, VP of Product at Unbound Merino, highlighted the necessity of smarter insights for managing approvals and comparisons of suppliers: “Greater visibility will enable our teams to manage material and color approvals, compare suppliers and understand costing earlier,” ensuring that the brand retains its competitive edge.

In a digital landscape where competition is fierce and consumer preferences are ever-evolving, the partnership between Centric Software and Unbound Merino symbolizes a commitment to innovation and quality. As noted by Fabrice Canonge, CEO of Centric Software, “Centric PLM will connect people, suppliers, and product data to accelerate decision-making, manage increasing complexity and create the operational agility needed to scale without compromising quality, margins, or product intent.”

In conclusion, Unbound Merino's strategic choice to implement Centric PLM underscores its dedication to streamlining operations and enhancing product quality as it continues to grow its global presence. With this partnership, the brand is well-positioned to meet the demands of its customers while retaining the core values that have made it a standout in the premium apparel market.