In an era where environmental awareness in society is rising, the fashion industry is in the spotlight for its environmental impact. One innovative solution that has been popularised during the last years is the use of deadstock fabrics. But what exactly are deadstock fabrics?
Deadstock fabrics refer to materials or garments that remain unused or unsold due to overproduction or minor defects that fail to meet quality control standards. These fabric supply solutions came from circular economy principles, where instead of discarding these materials, some sustainable brands choose to repurpose them, thereby reducing their environmental footprint.
Contrary to popular belief, deadstock is not necessarily unusable due to damage or defects. It often results from brands ordering excess fabrics to meet production minimums or from textile mills left with surplus fabrics due to cancelled or changed orders, which are fabrics in perfect condition that end up pilled up in warehouses.
These leftover fabrics can also come from factory scraps, offcuts, and even mills that failed quality control during production. According to Recovo’s Circular Fashion Report, 75% of fashion brands generate between 1% and 50% of fabric excess after completing their collections.
One of the most significant benefits of using deadstock fabrics is reducing textile waste. By incorporating these materials into apparel production, brands can help conserve resources and mitigate environmental harm.
Sourcing from a brand’s own or other brands’ leftover fabrics will reduce its climate footprint and supply costs of a brand. Repurposing deadstock keeps valuable materials out of landfills and gives them a second life.
The fashion industry is notorious for its massive water and carbon footprint because of its significant resource-intensive sourcing. For example, producing a single cotton t-shirt can consume up to 2,700 litres of water. This huge water overconsumption can be avoided if brands repurpose existing materials instead of discarding or wasting them.
Deadstock fabrics often come in limited quantities, which forces brands to be creative in their use. This constraint can lead to the creation of unique, one-of-a-kind products that stand out in the market.
For example, a designer might use a limited stock of deadstock fabric to create a collection of exclusive pieces, offering consumers something special and distinctive. Some of the most popular luxury brands in the market use this situation to create their collections under exclusiveness and sustainability value proposals, such as OMÔL’s Totem 1.1 Sandals created from Recovo deadstock fabrics, which merged circularity and high fashion design.
The rise of fast fashion has led to excessive textile production, short garment lifespans, and significant waste. Deadstock fabrics offer an opportunity for brands to break away from this cycle and adopt more sustainable practices. Deadstock fabrics break with this linear “take-make-dispose” consumption culture that fast fashion popularized during the last decade and encourages brands to embrace a circular economy where materials are reused.
A circular economy aims to enlarge the product life cycle, keeping products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible. Deadstock fabrics became a perfect solution to install this business model repurposing existing materials rather than producing new ones.
This new textile sourcing model approach not only reduces waste but also promotes sustainability in the fashion industry. By extending the life cycle of fabrics and keeping them in circulation, brands can contribute to a more circular and sustainable fashion ecosystem.
The COVID-19 pandemic global economic situation created a new landscape for the fashion industry. Most of the companies reevaluated their practices to seek sustainable alternatives while securing their sources because of logistic difficulties.
Most of the most important textile producers in the world are located in countries such as India or Bangladesh, and other countries’ fashion brands' supply during the pandemic and post-pandemic was limited because of border closures or other logistic issues. This situation led fashion brands to look for other sources to supply themselves, and one of the easiest and cheapest solutions was deadstock fabrics.
One of the best solutions for deadstock fabric sourcing is to check leftover fabrics in your own brand’s warehouse. Implementing this circular solution by software, such as Recovo’s circular software CiMS, whose purpose is to reintroduce the brand’s leftover fabrics, reducing its environmental impact and supply costs, which secures a brand's supply for upcoming collections.
Deadstock fabrics have emerged as a promising circular solution to fight against the textile impact on the environment. Reusing and repurposing existing unused materials is the perfect solution for brands to promote a circular economy at lower costs.
Consumers are probably the most important stakeholder in this shift towards sustainable fashion. Promoting circular brands and educating them to acquire more sustainable practices can drive demand for eco-friendlier consumption habits and encourage more brands to introduce circular economy business models into their strategies.
This consumer-driven demand can accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable fashion industry. More consumers are prioritizing sustainability-committed brands, motivating other brands to explore more innovative solutions to cover this upcoming growing demand.
While deadstock fabrics offer a viable solution to some of the fashion industry's environmental challenges, they are not a complete solution. Brands must continue to explore other sustainable fabric options and practices to achieve society's sustainability goals to face the current environmental situation. Investing in new technologies and materials that minimize environmental impact and ensuring ethical production practices throughout their operations is a requirement for the textile industry.
Deadstock fabrics represent a significant step towards a more sustainable fashion industry, by embracing these materials. Brands can reduce waste, lower their environmental footprint, offer consumers unique, exclusive products, and significantly reduce supply costs. This sourcing method is going to grow in the years to come as circular economy regulations and consumers’ sustainability requirements land in the textile industry, and companies must implement this type of sustainable strategy to adapt to the next fashion landscape.
Recovo creates circular solutions for the fashion industry. We cover various aspects of the circular economy for brands:
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