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‘Sustainability’ is the biggest buzzword in every industry right now — and fashion is no exception. The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon footprint that is larger than aviation and shipping combined.
There are problems at every stage of the supply chain, from excessive water usage to produce materials like denim to high energy consumption during the manufacturing process. The fashion industry is on a race against the clock to save the planet by becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly at every stage of the supply chain.
Kenchen Bharwani, a highly renowned fashion consultant with an eighteen-year career and a trailblazer in the off-price fashion industry, shares her insights on a solution that could drastically reduce the industry’s carbon footprint: sourcing stocklot items.
The potential of stocklots
Surplus goods, such as cancelled orders and excess inventory, are known as ‘stocklots’. It’s not a new concept for the fashion industry, but it’s often overlooked in the sustainability conversation.
Instead of allowing these goods to end up in landfill, a more sustainable avenue would be to repurpose them by selling them at a lower price at off-price fashion stores or reusing the fabric for other projects. Reducing the industry’s waste output is the first step to minimizing its carbon footprint and environmental damage.
Kenchen is well known for her strategic approach to utilizing surplus stock fabrics. Rather than relying on manufacturing new materials, she prioritizes leveraging existing stock to create fresh, on-trend collections. Her deep understanding of global markets allows her to pinpoint where surplus fabric can be sourced, ensuring both cost-efficiency and sustainability. With an extensive background in buying and selling readymade garment stocklots, Kenchen has spearheaded the development of entire clothing lines using stock fabrics sourced from leading factories worldwide. Her vast network of top-tier manufacturers, including suppliers for major retailers like Target, JC Penney, and Macy’s, solidifies her status as a trusted authority in the field. Her expertise drives innovation in the industry, making her a highly respected leader and an expert with extraordinary ability.
As a fashion consultant in Empire Apparel LLC, one of the largest garment stocklot importers in New York, Kenchen has been instrumental in expanding the company’s sourcing footprint. Originally focused on imports from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, she has successfully broadened their reach to include Pakistan, Jordan, and Ethiopia. Her strategic insight and global expertise continue to strengthen Empire Apparel’s influence in the stocklot business, particularly in men’s and women’s apparel. Based on her experiences, she believes the key to unlocking the potential of stocklots — and solving the industry’s sustainability challenge — is to think globally.
Stocklot sourcing for a more sustainable fashion industry
Stocklots and off-price fashion are a multi-faceted solution to the industry’s carbon footprint. Reutilizing surplus fabrics minimizes raw material usage, which in turn also reduces energy and water consumption. Almost 1.1 billion people are facing water scarcity, while the fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water after agriculture.
Cotton, one of the most common fabrics, goes through a water-intensive production process. Polyester, a favorite of the fast fashion industry, utilizes petroleum in its production process, a fossil fuel that contributes to a larger carbon footprint. Stocklots offer an alternative to creating new raw fabrics, minimizing energy-intensive processes to significantly reduce the carbon footprint.
Seasonal products, like Christmas apparel, can be seen as the most wasteful given their shorter shelf life and usage. It’s a point Kenchen is keen to point out. She recently spearheaded a project where she chose to source ready-made blank fleece sweatshirts from a supplier in Pakistan with excess stock to create festive themed apparel in a more sustainable way. Repurposing of surplus stock within the production process ensures the potential of existing resources are fully utilized.
Even small design decisions can improve the carbon footprint of a single product. When creating a range of winter socks, Kenchen directed the chosen manufacturer to use their excess sherpa fabric for the interior lining for the socks. She believes fashion brands don’t have to take radical steps or reinvent the wheel. Every small change has a positive impact as a step forward to a more sustainable fashion industry.
Tackling the fashion industry’s waste problem
Fast fashion has changed the industry — and not for the better. There has been a 400% increase in the number of garments produced every year compared to just 20 years ago. The negative impact on the environment is already evident, including the rise of microplastics in the oceans, with 35% coming from synthetic textiles such as polyester. The fashion industry is not only producing garments faster but is also discarding them at an unprecedented rate.
Garments that are the equivalent of the height of the Eiffel Tower are discarded into landfills every 16 seconds. That’s almost 4 Eiffel Towers every minute. The stats don’t stop there. 30% of garments are discarded without ever being worn, often with the tags still attached. The average clothing item is only worn less than ten times before going to landfill.
Sourcing stocklots is the first step to tackling the fashion industry’s waste problem by repurposing excess inventory and giving it a second chance. While changing consumer behavior takes time, adapting the supply chain process is something brands can start implementing immediately. Kenchen has been involved in the off-price fashion industry for almost two decades, working with international importers from as far as Dubai, Canada, as well as USA and manufacturers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Jordan and many more.
Every decision that industry leaders like Kenchen make in the supply chain influences its future as it helps to promote sustainability and decrease waste. For many of these manufacturers, it’s the first time they’ve considered the potential of their surplus stock being new revenue streams while improving their internal sustainability. It’s a win-win for the fashion industry, the environment, and the manufacturers.
Stocklots are the key to extending the life cycle of garments and unlocking the potential for greater sustainability throughout the industry. This is exactly the heart of Kenchen’s work, encouraging manufacturers — and brands — to look at this excess inventory as potential product, rather than waste for landfill.
Creating a circular economy for fashion
Stocklots are the first step to creating a circular economy within the fashion industry. The growth of fast fashion has led to the industry adopting a ‘take, make, waste’ approach with garments having a short lifespan. Sourcing products and materials from stocklots instantly extends a product’s lifespan. As an expert in stocklot sourcing, Kenchen has been working with manufacturers and suppliers to explore how existing products and materials can be repurposed as showcased through earlier examples – hence providing opportunities to create sustainable business models.
Reducing waste naturally helps to conserve resources and reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Think of it all as a circular system. Instead of a garment’s journey ending in a landfill, it goes back to the start of the circle as a new product. Every time it goes through the circle, its carbon footprint becomes lower.
There are opportunities everywhere for brands to implement more sustainable practices. Kenchen recently oversaw the purchase of liquidated mens and ladies wear stock from Alternative, a sustainable brand with eco-friendly blends and low-impact dyes. The clothing line ranges from eco-jersey pullovers, eco-fleece hoodies and joggers, and many more. With her strong knowledge of consumer behaviors, she selected styles which based on her experiences, were likeable and an easy sell in the stores. She also took into account her observation of how the consumers today are open to purchasing items that are not always part of the correct season or trend but come with an eco-conscious advantage. Collaborations like this show how like-minded brands can work together to lower their carbon footprint and position themselves as leaders in the movement towards responsible fashion.
Promoting products like this, and their sustainable nature, adds to the circular economy by positively influencing consumer behavior. Since Gen Z and Millennials are actively seeking environmentally friendly fashion brands, it gives companies an opportunity to expand their customer base and lower their carbon footprint in the process. These consumers are no longer shopping seasonally, focusing on capsule closets and ‘quality over quantity’.
What’s the next step?
As the fashion industry continues to evolve toward sustainability, the stocklots and off-price fashion industry is reshaping the future of fashion, offering a way to meet consumer demands while significantly reducing the environmental impact of production. Kenchen has seen it drastically change since the start of the millennium, but there’s still a mountain to climb in creating a circular economy that maximizes the lifespan of every garment. Let’s put clothing in the closet, not in the landfill.
