LVMH is banking on leftover fabrics via resale platform Nona Source

Whether it’s unsold items or rolls of fabric sitting in warehouses, fashion brands have commonly struggled to get through all their inventory, causing $288 billion worth of unnecessary waste. In 2018, British luxury fashion label Burberry destroyed unsold clothes, accessories and perfume worth £28.6m to protect its brand. Since the beginning of the year, a French law prohibits the destruction of unsold goods which must now be reused or recycled. As sustainability concerns within the industry continue to grow, the perception of deadstock is shifting from being called a dirty word to becoming valuable assets that can be used to create beautiful, unique garments in limited editions.

As a former materials buyer for Givenchy and Kenzo – both LVMH-owned brands – Romain Brabo saw the accumulation of deadstock in couture houses and decided to work on a solution with co-founder Anne Prieur du Perray and backed by the luxury group. “Nona Source’s mission is to support young designers by giving them access to fabrics from the LVMH ecosystem while also encouraging circularity between the different houses,” he explains. While sourcing deadstock from luxury brands can come with logistical challenges, the platform is easing the purchase of premium and rare materials for emerging brands at an affordable price. On the other hand, couture houses clear their warehouses from discarded stock and reinforce their sustainability credentials – it’s a win-win situation.

From silk to cashmere, wool to alpaca, Nona Source stocks more than 1,000 luxury fabrics that are between two to four years old and can go up to ten for heritage materials. Some of them are extremely precious and expensive but the platform sells them to young designers at 70% off the original price. Usually difficult to find, these materials also require a minimum order on quantities that is too high for small emerging brands. Nona Source however brings a limited amount of luxurious fabric, ready to deliver, in the hands of enthusiastic designers. “Creating from deadstock is an opportunity to challenge their creativity and the status quo,” says Brabo. “There’s a change of mindset coming from young talents towards how a garment should be produced.”