At Harmer & Huff we offer a selection of high quality deadstock fabrics to support your sustainable making goals. In this blog, we wanted to delve into what deadstock fabric is, discuss its sustainability value and highlight how this type of fabric can be a great option for your creative endeavors.
So what is deadstock fabric? And does it contribute to reducing waste in the fashion and fabric industry?
Essentially, deadstock fabric is leftover fabric that can no longer be used for its original purpose. It may also be referred to as ‘overstock’ or ‘surplus fabric.’ For example, a brand overestimates their fabric needs, produces their collection and is left with surplus material - this is deadstock fabric. Deadstock fabric can also be remnant material that textile mills have not been able to sell. This could be due to small imperfections on the fabric or the fabric not being produced in the correct colouring.
Understanding the source of deadstock fabric has important implications in regards to its sustainability value. For example, some mills have been known to purposely overproduce fabric to sell at a discounted price at a later time. The reason this overproduction occurs comes from the cost for mills to produce the material. The machines are complex and require a number of people to operate them and therefore it is cheaper for mills to produce more while they are up and running. This however, is not genuine deadstock fabric rather simply discounted fabric stock from overproduction. When fabric is purposely overproduced in this way it can further perpetuate the waste cycle in the fashion and textile industry.
At Harmer & Huff we want to facilitate access to genuine deadstock fabrics to give you the opportunity to choose a sustainable fabric. Whilst there is no clear-cut answer in regards to deadstock fabric and its sustainability value, when sourced from designers, such as ours, and then repurposed, deadstock fabric is a great option when you want to make in a more sustainable manner. Using genuine deadstock fabric is a way to give this fabric new life and prevent it from ending up in landfill. As deadstock fabric is usually only available in small quantities it also gives you the advantage of creating unique, limited edition fashion or textile items.
If you have any questions about how and where we source our deadstock fabric from feel free to reach out or comment below.
Check out our range of designer deadstock fabric here
