Night of the Living Deadstock

Oct 22

What is deadstock fabric?

Deadstock simply means unused or unwanted stock. It can refer to garments or to fabrics. For this post, I’ll be focusing on fabrics. Deadstock can also be called designer ends, mill ends, or excess inventory. Not all deadstock is resold, sometimes fabrics are destroyed to “preserve brand integrity” or avoid the costs associated with storing or selling them.

Where does deadstock fabric come from?

Deadstock can result from many different things: a brand or mill overproducing fabric to run more efficiently, knowing they can likely sell the excess. Deadstock can also be flawed or damaged fabrics, including color inconsistencies that are still perfectly good. Unfortunately, many fabric suppliers have minimums that are inaccessible to costume designers and small clothing brands so we rely on deadstock fabrics. Have you ever found a really pretty “non-reorderable” fabric at your favorite shop? That’s probably a deadstock fabric!

Where are good places to utilize deadstock in your design?

Almost anywhere you’re building new garments! In fact, you’re probably already using deadstock without knowing it. A really good place is in accents and accessories since sometimes it’s hard to get large quantities of deadstock fabrics, plus it’s a place you can be more flexible with the type and look of the fabric. You could consider accents like binding, cuffs, and belts or accessories like purses and bows.

You could also use deadstock in areas where the look doesn’t matter at all! Consider lining materials for suits, skirts, gowns, and more. Undergarments are often made in neutral colors but it could be a fun secret for you and the performer if you make it out of fun deadstock fabrics. By being more intentional in sourcing your deadstock fabrics, you can ensure that you are not accidentally adding to the problem.

Where can you find reliable deadstock fabrics?

This list is US based because a vast majority of our followers are located in the US. If you are interested in helping curate a list for your area, please let us know!

New York City

Most of the NYC garment district has deadstock fabrics.
FabScrap
Mood (not all deadstock but a decent amount)

Chicago

Our Semi Annual Fabric Sale (Usually March and September) - sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page to be the first to know!
Textile Discount Outlet - particularly the basement rooms!
Vogue Fabrics in Evanston offers some deadstock fabrics

Online (in addition to those above)

As with every area of sustainability, this is not a black and white situation. So let’s get into it; what is the problem with deadstock?

Commodifying waste can incentivize waste. As you can see above, there are many resellers or “jobbers” who source and resell unwanted fabrics for a profit. Deadstock has been built into the fashion economy for generations so it is unlikely that the fabric would go to landfill or be otherwise wasted.

Unfortunately, because of opacity in the fashion and textile industry, deadstock is even more difficult to trace. As a result, it can be impossible to verify if they are made with harmful chemicals or exploitative labor. Additionally, the fabric itself is not any more sustainable and could still be made of polyester, nylon, or other petrochemical based fibers.

How do we get involved with the bigger solution?

First and foremost: Don’t ADD to the fabric waste problem! You could host a local fabric swap to keep textiles in your community and work with a recycler for scraps (see our recent recycling guide.) Making use of deadstock is a good choice, BUT we also need to address the root cause that creates mountains of excess, untraceable fabrics.

It is also crucial as textile professionals to stay informed about general fashion ethics by following the work of organizations like Fashion Revolution, Clean Clothes Campaign, and Slow Factory. Donate if you are able, reshare the information with colleagues, or join a call to action.

Ultimately we all need to acknowledge, challenge, and solve the problem of overproduction because when waste is given a value, companies are incentivized to overproduce. This becomes a catch-22 for the individual designer just trying to do the right thing.

Sources

Kristen P Ahern