How to Buy Deadstock Fabric: A Guide to Luxury Surplus
How to buy luxury deadstock fabric: what surplus fabric is, how it differs from job lots and wholesale, how buying on Zerow works and how to choose.
Deadstock fabric is luxury fabric already produced for the collections of fashion houses and brands and never used. It has couture-grade quality, comes in limited quantities and lets you work with fine materials without any new production.
This guide to buying deadstock fabric is written for brands, ateliers, designers and home sewers: what end-of-roll stock is, how deadstock differs from job lots and wholesale, how buying on Zerow works and how to choose well, knowing that a deadstock cloth is often never repeated.
What deadstock is
Every season fashion companies order fabric for their collections. Part of it is never used: surplus yardage, colours that never went into production, sample lengths, end-of-run stock. This is deadstock: new fabric, never cut, with the same qualities as the fabric in finished garments on the shop floor.
On Zerow it comes from the surplus of Italian luxury houses and mills. Every fabric is described on its product page with composition, weight and width; to find your way around fabric families, start with our guide to the types of fabric.
Why choose luxury deadstock
- Couture-grade quality: these are the same fabrics fashion houses chose for their collections.
- Limited quantities: a deadstock fabric is often not available anywhere else, which makes every garment unique.
- Lower impact: you use material that already exists, with no new fibre, yarn or dyeing.
- Access to small lots: emerging brands and ateliers can work with fabrics that normally come with production minimums.
Deadstock, job lots, wholesale and remnants: the differences
If you are looking for luxury fabric on good terms, you will meet different words that do not mean the same thing:
| Term | What it means | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Deadstock or surplus | Fabric made for a collection and left unused | High quality, limited and often unrepeatable quantities |
| Job lots | Batches of fabric sold together, often mixed | Variety, but quality and lengths to check lot by lot |
| Wholesale | Buying large quantities, usually of fabric in production | Restocking possible, high minimum orders |
| Remnants | Short pieces, cutting leftovers | Fine for small projects, not for production |
Zerow works with deadstock: fabrics selected one by one, with technical information on every product page.
How buying fabric on Zerow works
Fabrics are sold by the full roll. There is also a selection of fabrics cut to length, usually from a minimum of 10 metres: the details of each fabric, including how it is sold, are shown on the product page.
- Businesses with a VAT number: dedicated terms, with a reserved price view.
- Samples: available to everyone, private and business, to judge handle, weight and colour before ordering.
- Leathers: alongside fabrics you will find deadstock leathers, sold by the skin with the average m² shown for each skin.
How to choose the right fabric
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Composition | Tells you how the fabric behaves: warm, cool, stretchy, delicate |
| Weight | Sets drape and season: light for summer, heavy for outerwear |
| Width | Changes the metres you need: a wider fabric needs fewer |
| Metres available | Deadstock is limited: check there is enough for the whole project |
| Sample | The safest way to judge handle and colour in person |
To choose by garment, read our guides to trouser fabric and gabardine fabric.
Tips for brands and ateliers
- Work out the metres from your pattern and the fabric width before ordering, with a small margin.
- Buy everything you need straight away: a sold-out deadstock cloth usually does not come back.
- Use uniqueness to your advantage: capsules and small runs make the most of fabrics not everyone can have.
- Order a sample when colour and handle are key to the project.
Shop all luxury deadstock fabrics
Buying deadstock fabric: frequently asked questions
What is deadstock fabric?
Fabric produced for fashion collections and left unused: new, never cut, with the same quality as the fabric used in garments sold in shops.
Is surplus fabric lower quality?
No. It is new fabric, often from luxury houses and mills; it stays in stock for reasons of quantity or collection planning, not because of defects.
Can I reorder the same fabric?
Usually not: quantities are limited and rarely reproduced. That is why it pays to buy all the metres you need at once.
What is the minimum order?
Fabrics are sold by the full roll; a selection is available cut to length, usually from a minimum of 10 metres. How each fabric is sold is shown on its product page.
Do you sell to businesses?
Yes. Businesses with a VAT number have dedicated terms and a reserved price view.
Can I order a sample before buying?
Yes, samples are available to all Zerow customers, private and business. It is the best way to judge handle, weight and colour before ordering.
