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What is Deadstock?

Deadstock refers to unused remaining stocks of fabrics, materials or finished goods that were originally intended for sale or production.

Glossary illustration for Deadstock

Definition

Inventories can arise due to overproduction, canceled orders, color variations, seasonal changes or business closures. The term is not always used consistently in trade.

In simple words

Using existing fabrics can avoid new material production and give small collections special quality. However, deadstock is not automatically sustainable: composition, age, storage, pollutants, origin and available quantity can be unclear. When it comes to vintage sneakers, deadstock is sometimes also used for unworn original goods.

What to pay attention to

  • Question about origin, material composition and reason for the remaining stock.
  • Check older goods for storage stains, brittleness and color differences.
  • Evaluate deadstock as a use of resources, not as a blanket seal of sustainability.

Common misconceptions

Deadstock does not automatically mean waste material and does not automatically mean ecologically sound goods.

ESKYNA note

Deadstock uses what is already available - how useful this is is only shown by the transparent history of the material.