I coordinated with NCECA (National Conference for Education of Ceramic Arts) and local garment factory, Sew Valley, to design an manufacture 300+ tote bags for conference attendees using mostly fabric and trims that was sitting in a warehouse bound for landfill.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Using what you have available as deadstock may not produce the most desired visual outcome. This project resulted in half deadstock and half new fabric to fulfill the branding color requirements.

2. It’s of great value to the brand to be able to talk about these kinds of efforts as it can result in positive media attention. (This should not be the sole reason for choosing to do this!)

3. It is important to consider where the deadstock fabric is coming from and to calculate it’s carbon emissions i.e. travel time/distance to the place of manufacture.