One of the biggest shifts in the fashion industry is the growing interest in finding ways to resell, repurpose, or make use of existing inventory.
On the textile side, that inventory comes from unsold stock and excess materials that are piled up in warehouses, factories or showrooms around the world. And there’s a lot of it.
Stephanie Benedetto saw an opportunity to take billions of yards of fabric that were going to waste and put it into the hands of brands and manufacturers who were looking for smaller orders or were willing to buy stock lots.
In 2018 she and co-founder, Phil Derasmo, created Queen of Raw, a textile exchange that allows sellers to easily list what they have and for buyers to browse what’s on offer. It’s proved to be the right resource at the right time, has rapidly moved from serving small brands and hobbyists to becoming a go-to resource for major international brands.
There's actually around $120 billion in unused inventory a year. A big portion of that is in good condition and it can be monetized.
