Stephanie Benedetto is leading the industry in circular fashion as the co-founder of Queen of Raw, an award-winning software that takes action on excess inventory, measures, and reports, and turns pollution into profit. This week, Benedetto joins a CFDA webinar on designing with deadstock to share her insights on the current landscape of this market and the opportunities and benefits of working with excess fabric.

What prompted you to start your business, Queen of Raw?

I had a factory and saw firsthand the massive amount of waste and breaks in complex supply chains. There are valuable resources sitting in warehouses collecting dust or being burned or sent for combustion. And organizations all over the world are looking for access to these materials. I realized this is just a supply-demand mismatch and we could use technology to bridge the gap, across industries and around the world. I left my job as a Wall Street attorney to tackle the problem head on and to build a solution for people, planet, and profit!

Can all brands (big or small) begin using deadstock as part of their design practices?

There is no company too big or too small to take advantage of integrating rescued fabrics into their designs – or to sell excess inventory that is no longer needed. We have large enterprise clients with millions of meters of high-quality materials which match well with other large brands looking to create entire deadstock collections. And we have smaller designers looking to create limited edition deadstock pieces but can’t commit to large, expensive orders.

Leveraging our proprietary software, Materia MX, they can get access to what they need, when they need it and drive the project from start to finish!

Realizing that all change is good change, we also offer a more basic membership in our software and network for smaller businesses who are looking to sell or purchase excess inventory but don’t need comprehensive ESG reporting or global supply chain integrations and inventory management.

What steps should a brand take to begin their journey in working with deadstock?

First – get excited! You are a key part of solving the 288 billion dollar problem of excess inventory. And your designs save valuable water, chemicals, carbon emissions, and waste from polluting our environment.  The steps to start sourcing and selling deadstock through the Materia MX portal are easy and seamless. Simply reach out so we can assess your needs and offer the appropriate program to take action: joinus@queenofraw.com.

Step 1: Measure and Evaluate Existing Operations

Step 2: Plan

Step 3: Take Action

What triumphs have you witnessed for brands that have implemented deadstock into their business?

There may be no stronger case to reduce GHG emissions while saving money than working with fabrics that are sitting in warehouses or, worse, bound for landfill or combustion.  Designing cause-based collections that utilize these perfectly amazing fabrics helps free up precious warehouse space, time, and money. A win for the environment, brand messaging, and for the bottom line.

One of our clients, a Fortune 500 fashion brand, saved $10M in otherwise unsellable inventory plus $4M in holding costs through resale and recycling initiatives, diverting 95 percent of its metric tons of liabilities from landfill and incineration globally.

As we all work towards reducing GHG emissions, how would you encourage a fashion brand to move the needle forward when it comes to sustainable material use?

We work together with fashion brands and designers to make a difference in the way they conduct business and who and what they work with. Small changes like who you use for shipping, how goods are packaged, your material choices, and how you manufacture are powerful.

What excites you most about deadstock and what does the future hold for the deadstock market?

Deadstock is no longer a dirty word. Selling and rescuing excess inventory and fabric is an exciting opportunity that is uniting the fashion industry’s largest players and singular outliers. Creating deadstock collections and collaborations is helping a competitive industry work together to initiate circularity while fixing an age-old problem that has grown to epic proportions. Together we will change the world!