Industry And Cluster | News & Insights

SUPPLYCOMPASS LAUNCHES GLOBAL DEADSTOCK LIBRARY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH QUEEN OF RAW

Published: September 19, 2020

Author: TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN

LONDON, 2020: SupplyCompass , the production software for fashion brands and manufacturers, announces the launch of its global Deadstock Library in partnership with Queen of Raw , the NYC-based technology company changing the landscape for deadstock fabric. An industry first partnership, the SupplyCompass Deadstock Library will provide a myriad of deadstock fabric options to help brands design more sustainable collections, create value from waste, and champion circularity.

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.

Quote from SupplyCompass Co-Founder, Flora Davidson
“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.”

“Digitisation of materials, components, and trims into our cloud-based libraries is a big part of our tech roadmap. Our vision is to make sustainability accessible and cost effective for every brand, and the Deadstock Library is a vital piece of the jigsaw for this. Brands can design collections in the SupplyCompass platform and in one click, access available resources, materials from factories and suppliers close by, designing around all of those elements at the start of the process—whilst also allowing factories to sell their waste stock. We’d ultimately like to see 25% of every brand’s collections being made from deadstock materials.”

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19 sustainability has still been a top priority for many brands we’ve worked with and spoken to during this period. In fact, we feel sustainability and circularity conversations are emerging with renewed vigour as brands have had to adjust and re-prioritise as a result of the pandemic.”

Quote from Queen of Raw CEO & Co-Founder, Stephanie Benedetto

“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.”

“This matters now more than ever. The world is experiencing a crisis of supply. Growing
internationally, especially where this inventory is located, is critical to building a connected and circular future globally.”

Queen of Raw’s marketplace uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to match
companies that have excess fabric with the creators close by who need it throughout the world. So far, Queen of Raw has helped buyers and sellers of fabric save over one billion gallons of water. That’s enough clean water for 1.43 million people to drink around the world for 3 years.

Signing up to the SupplyCompass Deadstock Library
Brands can access the Deadstock Library by signing up to the SupplyCompass platform.
SupplyCompass has selected a handful of initial factory partners for brands looking to design and produce collections with deadstock fabric. Brands are provided with sample yardage and are then required to place a down payment to block out the chosen fabric. Currently, jersey, leather, and handwoven fabrics are available, with more to follow.

Hear SupplyCompass in conversation with Queen of Raw in a webinar on 17th September,
discussing Queen of Raw’s journey to date, the intricacies around deadstock, the economics of waste in fashion supply chains, and how technology has been integral to their revolutionary journey.