About the Company

ACS Clothing is Europe’s largest Circular Fashion Hub, providing brands and retailers with expert services in fulfilment, order management, cleaning, repairs, and more. With over 25 years of experience, ACS specialises in rental fulfilment and clothing renewal, supporting the shift from ownership to access within the fashion industry.

Initially focusing on men’s formal hire, ACS developed an innovative, scalable fulfilment solution before expanding into new markets across the fashion sector. Their mission is to transform the industry from a linear take-make-dispose model to a circular one, extending the life of textiles and reducing clothing waste.

By enabling brands to adopt rental or resale models alongside traditional e-commerce, ACS supports sustainable practices while offering a simple and flexible onboarding process. Their partners benefit from additional revenue streams, enhanced sustainability credentials, and ethical, agile operations that align with a circular economy.

 

ACS Clothing Staff

 

KTP Aim

We partnered with ACS Clothing for two KTP projects and an AKTP project (Accelerated KTP project).

The KTP project with the School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences and ACS aimed to integrate automation and physical chemistry expertise to support the design, development, and implementation of an innovative in-line garment sanitisation process; overcoming the limitations of current batch processes and unlocking capacity for accelerated growth.

 

KTP Associate

Emmanuel Epelle was the KTP Associate on this project. Since the project was completed, Emmanuel has continued his academic journey through ongoing collaborations with ACS Clothing.

Working on this KTP project offered me firsthand experience of the transformative impact of an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. We arrived at an effective, efficient and innovative solution in a relatively short time."

Emmanuel Epelle, KTP Associate, ACS Clothing

 

Key Outcomes

  • ACS Clothing transformed from a follower to a leader in clothing decontamination through the development of the automated sanitisation system
  • This collaboration resulted in knowledge exchange; more than >10 multidisciplinary final-year undergraduate projects in the areas of microbiology, engineering and physical chemistry
  • ACS transformed from a consumer of available commercial solutions to a developer of world-leading technologies
  • £1,250,000 total investment in plant and machinery
  • 608 total number of staff trained
  • 440 new employees hired
  • £3,170,000 investment in R&D

 

ACS Clothing rack

 

Notable Achievements

  • ACS Clothing won across three categories at the Glasgow Business Awards 2024
  • Mohammed Yaseen was nominated for Academic of the Year Award 2024 for his pivotal role in the ACS Clothing KTP Project
  • ACS Clothing won the Innovate Award at the CeeD Industry Awards 2023
  • ACS was nominated for the Marketing Award at the CeeD Industry Awards 2023
  • Emmanuel Epelle won the Innovator of the Future Award at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2023
  • The KTP project led to the production of seven journal papers and the filing of one patent
  • The collaboration resulted in an evolving and thriving research and development department within ACS
This ever-evolving partnership, between Advanced Clothing Solutions and the University of the West of Scotland, truly believes that everything is possible."

Anthony Burns, Chief Operating Officer, ACS Clothing Limited

Last updated: 13/02/2025