What Metail does

Metail Limited is a Cambridge, UK-based applied AI company founded in 2007 that has been wholly positioned since 2023 as a 'Specialist Apparel AI House' for the global clothing industry. The company builds computer-vision and machine-learning systems that turn two smartphone photographs into an accurate 3D body model (Metail-Avatar-System / MAS), generate sample-free, on-model imagery of 3D garments (EcoShot, transferred to Slovenian visualisation studio Tronog at the end of 2023 but with Metail continuing to supply the underlying Generative AI components), analyse factory sewing-line activity for apparel manufacturers (MAMA), and export 3D garments from Browzwear's VStitcher into Snap's Lens Studio for AR try-on lenses (Metail Skinner plug-in). It is wholly owned by Hong Kong apparel conglomerate TAL Group, which led two Series-2 rounds in 2014 and 2017 totalling roughly $25M, with prior Series-2 backing from New World Private Equity in 2013.

The company's commercial model historically centred on SaaS-style licences and plug-in fees (Browzwear VStitcher integration, Size Stream licensing of MAS to power MeThreeSixty and Formcut, and custom AR lens development for apparel brands) with a small named customer footprint that has included Featuring Limited, Teemill, and via Browzwear downstream users such as PUMA, The North Face, Tommy Hilfiger and Walmart. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution has been built around privileged platform relationships, most notably Snap's GHOST Fellowship (first Shopping & Fashion Fellow, September 2021) which gave Metail early access to Lens Studio ML features and a route to Snap's 200M+ daily AR users, alongside Facebook Spark AR and Instagram integrations.

Following the 2023 EcoShot transfer, Metail has narrowed its scope to the AI/ML layer itself (Generative AI components for Tronog, MAMA for manufacturers, the MAS body-scanning platform, and an announced 2024 apparel video capability), with the explicit strategic intent of helping apparel companies 'leverage the exciting new capabilities of AI'. The firm holds a granted patent family from 2009 covering body modelling, virtual try-on and composite photography, and operates GDPR-compliant data practices under UK supervision.

Name

Metail

Legal name

Metail Limited

Website

https://metail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Metail Limited is a Cambridge, UK-based applied AI company and wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong's TAL Group that builds computer-vision and machine-learning systems (body scanning, virtual try-on, AR lenses, factory analytics) for apparel brands and manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations

Core offering

Metail is a Specialist Apparel AI House that develops computer-vision and machine-learning products for the clothing industry. Its current offerings include the Metail-Avatar-System (MAS), which generates accurate 3D body models from two smartphone photos and is licensed to partners such as Size Stream, and Machine-Learning Advanced Motion Analytics (MAMA), an AI solution that analyses factory sewing-line activity to improve efficiency. The company also produces Generative AI components and conducts AR try-on R&D, while its EcoShot virtual-photography product for 3D CAD garments was transferred to Tronog in late 2023.

Product overview

Metail positions itself as a "Specialist Apparel AI House" - a single specialist firm rather than a multi-product SaaS platform, organised around computer vision and machine learning expertise applied to the clothing industry. Its portfolio combines (a) EcoShot, the flagship sample-free virtual photography product for 3D CAD garments (a Browzwear VStitcher plug-in that creates on-model imagery in ~24 hours and which now also uses Generative AI models, transferred to Tronog in Nov 2023), (b) the Metail-Avatar-System (MAS), the underlying body-scanning AI that powers partner apps like Size Stream's MeThreeSixty and Formcut, (c) Machine-Learning Advanced Motion Analytics (MAMA), an AI analytics module for apparel factory sewing lines, (d) the Metail Skinner plug-in for VStitcher, which extends 3D garments into Snap Lens Studio AR try-on lenses, (e) an announced apparel video capability, and (f) experimental AI Metahuman GAN work. The Skinner plug-in plus EcoShot form the bridge between Metail's CAD/3D visualisation heritage and its AR/Generative-AI roadmap for apparel retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EcoShot: Sample-free, virtual photography solution that delivers accurate and realistic images of 3D garments on real-life models; originally launched by Metail in 2020 and transferred to Tronog by end of 2023, though 'EcoShot' remains a trademark of Metail Limited.
• MeModel
• Metail Skinner
• MAS (Metail-Avatar-System)
• MAMA (Machine-Learning Advanced Motion Analytics)

Products and services

• EcoShot Sample-free, virtual photography solution that produces accurate, realistic images of 3D garments on real-life and AI-generated fashion models, originally built as a plug-in for Browzwear's VStitcher 3D CAD software with a ~24-hour turnaround. The product was transferred to Tronog in late 2023 under a strategic partnership, though the 'EcoShot' trademark remains with Metail Limited and Metail continues to provide Generative AI components to Tronog.
• Metail-Avatar-System (MAS) Computer-vision and machine-learning system that generates an accurate 3D body scan from a smartphone and two photographs, licensed to partners such as Size Stream to power apps including MeThreeSixty (body visualisation) and Formcut (Made-To-Measure shirts).
• Machine-Learning Advanced Motion Analytics (MAMA) AI solution used by apparel manufacturers to measure and improve the efficiency of factory sewing lines, providing sub-activity-level analytics for each line worker based on activity timing data captured via specialist hardware.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tronog: Slovenia-based 3D visualisation studio that took over EcoShot from Metail in November 2023 and now operates the sample-free virtual photography product (ecoshotstudio.com). Directly comparable as it inherited Metail's flagship CAD-to-model pipeline and is the primary continuation of Metail's commercial product.
• Vue.ai: AI platform for fashion retailers covering product tagging, visual search, virtual try-on and personalised styling. Comparable as a vertically-focused apparel AI vendor selling into the same fashion brand customer base as Metail.
• True Fit: Apparel fit and sizing AI platform used by major retailers and brands. Overlaps with Metail's MAS body-scanning technology on the size/fit personalisation problem and serves the same fashion brand customers.
• Wannaby (Gucci/Kering parent AR try-on unit): AR try-on specialist acquired by Kering, focused on footwear and accessories virtual try-on. Closely comparable on the AR try-on and Snap/Meta platform distribution axis that defines much of Metail's product roadmap.
• CLO 3D: Leading 3D garment CAD software vendor used by apparel brands. Directly comparable to Browzwear VStitcher as part of the same 3D apparel design toolchain that Metail's products integrate into and compete within.
• Browzwear: Vendor of VStitcher 3D apparel CAD software, into which Metail's EcoShot and Skinner plug-ins integrate. Closely comparable as the platform on which Metail's CAD-side value is delivered, and an adjacent incumbent in the same apparel 3D workflow.
• Size Stream: Body-scanning technology vendor (MeThreeSixty, Formcut) that licences Metail's MAS computer vision. Comparable as a direct counterparty and adjacent provider of smartphone-based body scanning for apparel applications.

Emerging players

• Revery.ai: AI virtual try-on startup offering a B2B SDK for apparel try-on and model imagery. Comparable on the generative AI for on-model fashion imagery problem that EcoShot and Metail's GHOST work address.
• Lalaland.ai: AI-generated fashion model platform for e-commerce, enabling brands to show garments on diverse AI models. Directly comparable to Metail's EcoShot Generative AI model imagery capability.

Broad incumbents

• Snap (Snapchat / Lens Studio): Operator of Snapchat and Lens Studio; runs the GHOST innovation lab of which Metail is the inaugural Shopping & Fashion Fellow. Comparable as the platform owner that both enables and competes with Metail's AR try-on roadmap across 200M+ daily users.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metail
• Xx.com/Metail
• Facebookfacebook.com/Metail

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metail