Meet the founder and inventor of Coloreel
We checked in with Joakim Staberg, the founder, and inventor behind the groundbreaking technology that is now elevating the textile industry to the next level. The journey of Coloreel started many years ago when Joakim had a revelation.
How did you come up with the idea for Coloreel’s innovative technology?
Many years ago, I had an opportunity to investigate and analyze the textile industry. I studied different types of textile production machinery, processes, logistics, handling of materials, needs from different parties, and more. One thing that caught my attention was the time-consuming handling of the core “component” of the textile industry: the thread. Including all the reels they are spooled up on. This was the starting point for the Coloreel technology. Seeing the huge logistic issues; stocking thousands of thread reels and the profound environmental consequences of the factories' way of dying the threads.
How was the journey of taking Coloreel from the drawing board to where it is today?
The journey from idea to making our first product fully functional and applicable to the industry was far from simple. We went through a lot of testing, and remaking, over and over again. The biggest challenge has been the complexity of making all parts and functions work together in perfect harmony to be able to flawlessly colorize a thread into its core in a matter of seconds, achieving the same high quality as traditionally colored threads. We did it! It was a team effort.
Did you ever think of giving up?
No. Somehow I knew all along that we would succeed. I have not been in this industry earlier, my mindset was more open, focusing only on how to improve without having a limited mindset based on “how things have always been”.
What are the unique benefits for an embroidery designer using the Coloreel technology?
The freedom of colors! Having millions of colors and always exactly the colors you want at hand, instead of being forced to choose from the few colors that a thread manufacturer has chosen. Also, the ability to create unique coloring effects, eg. soft transitions between colors or shades to get a 3D effect. You can even mimic natural elements like grass, bark, clouds, a rainbow, how water shifts in colors, or whatever you like. Only your imagination sets the limits. This opens a whole new dimension of creativity for designers, digitizers, and brands.
What are you most proud of?
Our amazing staff at Coloreel. This is not a one-person job. Getting where we are now have taken a lot of effort from so many talented individuals! I am very grateful for everyone who has chosen to join our mission.
What are you most looking forward to for Coloreel this year?
Already today we have customers in 17 countries, and I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing embroideries they will create and seeing them and their customers become even more successful using the Coloreel units.
What other potential applications do you see for the instant thread coloring technology?
Our well-patented technology can be applied to any type of thread, thus be utilized with a lot of different types of textile production machinery. I cannot give you any details right now, but there are more intriguing things to come.