what are dead-stock fabrics?
deadstock fabrics, also known as surplus fabrics, refer to leftover fabrics that were once intended to be used by suppliers. traditionally, these fabrics are ditched to landfills or bought by a third-party whom then resell the fabrics to independent buyers. there is a common misconception that deadstock fabrics originate because the fabrics are flawed and cannot be used. however, in reality, there are many reasons why deadstock fabrics exist. below are possible scenerios.
1. a manufactuer or brand orders a bulk of fabric, yet decides to retract the order or request to halt production. in common cases, in order to preserve the relationship, fabric mills absorb the losses. the produced fabrics become what is considered deadstock fabrics.
2. it is a common industry standard for brands to order 10-20% more fabric than they intend to use. for example, if the buyer requires 100 yards to produce their garments, they would order 120 yards. the extra yardages are required for unexpected problems could occur during production. however, in some cases, the extra yardages are not use, creating deadstock fabrics.
3. a buyer could request to produce a specific color or type of fabric, yet the fabric mills could make a mistake and the buyer decides to reject the order. a common case is the color being different for there are many scientific variable involved during the dyeing process. the accidentally created yardages become deadstock fabrics.
at lafy, we created partnerships with fabrics mills and manufacturers from all over the world to source the deadstock fabrics that were intended for the landfills. we ensure that all of the fabrics are in impeccable condition and without flaws. with approximately 100 million tonnes of textile waste annually, we found it imperative to find a solution to the industry problem of deadstock fabrics.
the specific designs that are created through deadstock fabrics are clearly labeled as deadstock fabrics and shipped with a label that identifies it. our usage and availability of deadstock fabrics are completely dependent on our partnered corporations. ocasionally, the fabrics we source as deadstock fabrics are fibers that would not be considered sustainable and we would not source under traditional circumstances. however, we still find it imperative to find use for these fabrics rather than let it be ditched to a landfill. our program is further adapting a feature where we provide consumers the option to use deadstock fabrics for any of our designs.
