imbotex

What imbotex does

Imbotex is an Italian B2B manufacturer of natural, recycled, and technical textile paddings founded in 1955 and headquartered in Cittadella (Padova), Italy. The company is organized into two divisions: one producing upholstery paddings for furniture and bedding, the other producing insulations for apparel, sportswear, and workwear garments. Its product portfolio is grouped into four lines — Technical Paddings (including graphene-enhanced and thermobonded options), Natural Paddings (wool, cashmere, camel hair, alpaca, silk, hemp), Recycled Paddings (upcycled silk, cashmere, wool, camel hair, r-PET), and Down Alternatives — and is washable through an exclusive chlorine-free process. Imbotex serves high-end fashion houses, sportswear and outdoor brands, bedding manufacturers, furniture makers, and technical workwear companies, with named customers and partners including Kering Group, Oberalp Group (LaMunt and POMOCA), Montura, Alfredo Grassi, D-Air Lab, and Mammut.

The company's technology stack is built around patented mechanical upcycling processes (Cameluxe, Luxepad, and a chemical-free, water-free recycling method developed at Imbotex Lab, a wholly owned subsidiary founded in 2019). It works with a broad fiber base spanning noble animal fibers (silk, wool, cashmere, camel, yak), plant-based fibers (hemp, nettle, lyocell, kapok, PLA), technical fibers (graphene, carbon, infrared, hollow-core, polypropylene), and recycled inputs from post-industrial scrap, PET bottles, climbing ropes, and ski skins. Performance is validated through third-party thermal testing (CLO values, e.g., 2.2 CLO at 150 g/m² for Nouvelle; 2.92 CLO at 130 g/m² for ReMOCA Pad) and recognized by GRS, GOTS, Recycled Claim Standard, INTERTEK Vegan Mark, ISPO Textrends, and Red Dot certifications.

Imbotex operates a direct B2B sales model selling proprietary padding and wadding materials to garment manufacturers and brands, with pricing quoted per project and no public price list. Go-to-market is heavily event-driven through participation in roughly ten international trade shows per year (ISPO Munich, Performance Days, MilanoUnica, Première Vision, Functional Fabric Fair, Functional Textiles Shanghai, A+A Düsseldorf, among others), supplemented by website content, email newsletters, and selective press coverage. The company is privately held by the founding family, led by CEO Stefania Carniello and Sales Manager Roberta Carniello, and has no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

imbotex

Legal name

IMBOTEX srl

Website

https://imbotex.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Imbotex is an Italian B2B manufacturer founded in 1955 that produces natural, recycled, and technical textile paddings for fashion, sportswear, bedding, furniture, and workwear brands, using patented mechanical upcycling processes developed at its Imbotex Lab subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Textile Padding Manufacturing

NAICS

Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (31323)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Coated & Laminated Base Fabric Mills (Pre-finish Substrates) (IMAOABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outerwear & Cold-Weather Apparel Manufacturers (CRAAAAAI), Adhesives, Tapes & Bonding for Apparel (Seam Tape/Hot-Melt Films/Heat-Seal Tapes/Trim Attachment Adhesives) (IMAOALAJ)

Keywords

• Recycled textile padding
• Technical insulation materials
• Down alternative paddings
• Upcycled wool insulation
• Circular economy textile manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cittadella

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Padding and Wadding Materials: Imbotex manufactures and sells high-quality padding and wadding materials for clothing, bedding, furniture, and workwear applications. The company supplies to high-end brands in bedding, furniture, fashion, and sportswear sectors. Revenue comes from B2B material sales to garment manufacturers and brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Imbotex manufactures and sells high-tech, natural, and recycled textile padding and wadding materials used as insulation in clothing, sportswear, workwear, bedding, and furniture. The company operates two divisions: one for upholstery (furniture and bedding) and another for apparel/sportswear insulation. Products range from noble natural fibers (silk, wool, cashmere, camel hair) and recycled/upcycled materials to advanced technical paddings incorporating infrared, graphene, and carbon fibers, all washable via a proprietary chlorine-free process.

Product overview

Imbotex is an Italian manufacturer of high-tech insulation and padding materials established in 1955, organized into two main divisions: (1) upholstery for furniture and bedding, and (2) insulations for apparel, sportswear, and workwear. The company offers four product categories: Technical Paddings (including graphene-enhanced and thermobonded options), Natural Paddings (wool, cashmere, camel hair, alpaca, silk, hemp), Recycled Paddings (upcycled silk, cashmere, wool, camel hair, and r-PET), and Down Alternatives. Key named products include Nouvelle (recycled silk with PLA), Cameluxe (upcycled camel hair), Twins Graphene (double-layer graphene padding), Nativa Silk Pad (100% recycled active warmth), Luxepad (upcycled cashmere), ReMOCA Pad (from ski skins), Tirol Wool, and Bavarian Wool. The company also operates Imbotex Lab (founded 2019) focused on circular economy and upcycling. Products are used by high-end brands in bedding, furniture, fashion, and sportswear, and are washable through a chlorine-free process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Imbotex Lab: Subsidiary brand focused on upcycling and circular economy solutions for padding materials. Founded in 2019. Website: https://imbotexlab.com/

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 gr/mq of Nouvelle insulation achieves 2.2 CLO value (thermal insulation rating)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LaMunt (Oberalp Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2023LaMunt, a South Tyrolean brand produced by women for women, collaborated with Imbotex to create ReMOCA Pad from alpine ski leathers by POMOCA (an Oberalp Group brand). The result is an exclusive synthetic insulation padding from a completely circular production system made entirely in Italy.
• POMOCA (Oberalp Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2023POMOCA, a brand of Oberalp Group, supplies ski mountaineering skin waste for the ReMOCA Pad upcycling project. Their production waste is collected, transformed, and given new life as insulation padding.
• Kering GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Kering and Imbotex have been working together on a sustainability project since the beginning of 2022. The two companies integrated their expertise to design new products based on Circular Economy Concept. The result is the Nouvelle padding - an upcycling process for deadstock/leftover printed silk fabrics blended with GMO-free PLA fibers for sustainable padding.
• D-Air LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration started in 2020 with D-Air Lab, a newCo co-founded by Lino Dainese. The Antarctica project created an innovative suit for scientists working in extreme conditions (temperatures down to -89°C with winds up to 327km/h), utilizing Imbotex's Nativa SilkPad, Twins Graphene, and Cameluxe paddings.
• Alfredo Grassi S.p.AcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership since 2016 with Alfredo Grassi, a company founded in 1925 and major international group for technical clothing. Imbotex provides padding for workwear garments including innovations like Graphene G+ materials and smart tracking labels.
• LocwoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Locwool project based on cooperation between communities of wool producers in Bavaria and Baden Württemberg. Bavarian Wool padding is a natural, innovative product using German Merinolandschaf wool.
• PurfiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Purfi to develop Pur-fill, an upcycled insulation from pre-consumer textile waste. Purfi collects and rejuvenates fibers through their patented process to create high-quality insulation materials.
• MonturacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Montura on the Sashiko Jacket designed by architect Kengo Kuma. The limited edition jacket (83+83 pieces) features Cameluxe padding from upcycled camelhair fabrics. Proceeds support WE - Women's Eye and Ger for Life charity projects.
• MammutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRope to Insulation project - giving new life to Mammut climbing ropes by transforming them into insulation materials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Polartec: US-based technical fleece and insulation fabric maker serving outdoor and sportswear brands. Comparable as a technical textile/specialty insulation supplier focused on performance and increasingly recycled ranges.
• Climashield: Continuous filament insulation manufacturer for apparel, sleeping bags, and workwear, including recycled and Berry-compliant options. Directly comparable in product type and target end uses.
• Thermore: Italian-based manufacturer of thermal insulation padding for apparel and bedding, including recycled ranges. Highly comparable as a same-country, same-category specialist supplier serving fashion and sportswear brands.
• PrimaLoft: Leading branded synthetic insulation supplier for outerwear, sportswear, and footwear, with a growing portfolio of recycled (P.U.R.E.) fills. Directly comparable as a performance insulation vendor serving the same brand customers.

Broad incumbents

• Freudenberg Performance Materials: Large German nonwovens and technical textiles producer with apparel insulation, interlinings, and acoustic/filter materials. Overlaps with Imbotex in apparel nonwovens and circular material initiatives.
• INVISTA: Major producer of polyester and nylon fibers, including the Coolmax and Thermolite brands used in apparel insulation systems. Competes indirectly via fiber inputs to garment makers.
• W. L. Gore & Associates: Specialty materials company behind Gore-Tex and related functional fabrics for outdoor, workwear, and protective apparel. Adjacent incumbent with overlapping high-end technical apparel customers.
• DuPont (Sorona): Producer of Sorona bio-based polymer fiber used in insulation fills and stretch fabrics. Overlaps with Imbotex in sustainable apparel fill applications.
• 3M (Thinsulate): Global conglomerate whose Thinsulate brand dominates lightweight synthetic insulation across apparel, footwear, and workwear. Competes with Imbotex in technical padding but as part of a vastly larger portfolio.

Emerging players

• HeiQ: Swiss-based textile technology company focused on sustainable, high-performance finishes and fibers for apparel and bedding. Comparable as a smaller innovation-driven supplier chasing circular and performance textile opportunities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imbotex

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 imbotex