We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Queen of Raw, the NYC-based technology company changing the landscape for deadstock fabric, as featured in Vogue Business. By joining forces, SupplyCompass Platform users will be able to access a myriad of deadstock fabric options via the SupplyCompass Deadstock Library to design more sustainable collections, create value from waste, and champion circularity.
Deadstock fabrics are textiles which are leftovers from previous seasons with no plan for future use. Deadstock fabrics commonly come from a fashion brand or mill’s collection where it wasn’t required as well as rejected fabrics, unable to be sold due to minor defects or design changes.
SupplyCompass x Queen of Raw Partnership
Queen of Raw is a NYC-based technology company with a marketplace solution that matches fashion organizations looking to offload excess fabrics with buyers interested in high quality sustainable and affordable textiles. Queen of Raw addresses the $120 billion a year of unused textiles that are thrown into landfills, burned, or laid to rest in warehouses. Leveraging blockchain technology, it provides transparency around wasted inventory, including water, toxins, energy, and dollars saved by leveraging the Queen of Raw platform.
By partnering with Queen of Raw, SupplyCompass is able to offer deadstock fabrics at scale to brands and manufacturers in its network. Materials classified as ‘deadstock’ will be available to source through the SupplyCompass platform from 1st September. In turn, Queen of Raw’s designers and brands will be able to tap into the SupplyCompass network to manufacture collections using its platform and services.
SupplyCompass Deadstock Library
SupplyCompass is the first PLM with a marketplace to offer a service of this kind where deadstock fabric is seamlessly integrated into the design flow and available at the ideation stage of production and design. Usually a disjointed process, through the Deadstock Library brands can design collections around what is available rather than relying on custom virgin materials each season.
This deadstock fabric initiative forms part of SupplyCompass’ wider mission to make sustainability accessible and cost effective for all. The launch comes about as a direct result of an increasing demand for deadstock fabric from brands and manufacturers, which the fashion production software company observed being accelerated by the impacts of COVID-19. The pandemic has left brands concerned by money tied up in unsold inventory and manufacturers saddled with leftover fabric from cancelled orders. Deadstock fabric is therefore an all-round win-win solution that works for people, planet, and profit.
SupplyCompass sees huge potential when it comes to the use of deadstock fabrics, beyond just an environmental perspective. Empowering designers to build collections around what is already available can reduce lead times by as much as 6-8 weeks. Being more reactive to customers and being able to produce closer to the season is top priority for brands right now—and working with deadstock fabric is a great solution for this.
Deadstock has always been something we wanted to offer our brands, but there are challenges in doing it effectively and at scale. We’re really excited by this partnership with Queen of Raw, which is an amazing platform making deadstock fabric possible in an easy, streamlined way.
The quicker we can match a buyer with a seller, the quicker we can keep valuable deadstock out of landfill. We are thrilled to power the SupplyCompass Deadstock Library and give their community of buyers access to these materials, integrated directly into their manufacturing software. Everything is readily available, at a discount, and away from areas impacted by disruption.
In Conversation With Stephanie Benedetto, Co-Founder & CEO of Queen of Raw
We recently joined Queen of Raw to discuss their journey to date, the intricacies around deadstock fabrics, the economics of waste in fashion supply chains, and how technology has been integral to their revolutionary journey. Most importantly, we talk through our exclusive partnership with Queen of Raw to bring a deadstock fabric offering through the SupplyCompass platform.