In an industry built on constant newness, FABSCRAP is asking fashion to look more closely at what it has already left behind. For the past decade, the nonprofit has worked to divert pre-consumer textile waste from landfills, collecting unwanted fabrics and materials from fashion brands and finding new avenues for reuse, recycling, education, and creative exploration. But FABSCRAP's mission extends beyond simply keeping textiles out of the waste stream. By making reclaimed designer materials accessible to students, artists, designers, and its growing community of more than 10,000 volunteers, the organization has transformed waste into a starting point for innovation. Rather than viewing limitations as an obstacle, FABSCRAP encourages creatives to work with what already exists—an approach that can inspire experimentation, new skills, and entirely different ways of thinking about the design process. As FABSCRAP celebrates its 10th anniversary, its ambitions continue to grow alongside the conversation surrounding sustainability in fashion. Focused on the often-overlooked issue of pre-consumer textile waste, the organization is pursuing more circular partnerships with brands and encouraging designers and production teams to consider waste and material recovery from the start of a product's life. The goal, ultimately, is not simply to recycle more—but to prove that meaningful alternatives exist throughout the fashion cycle. In conversation with PhotoBook, FABSCRAP's co-founder and Creative Executive Director reflects on the challenges of building an industry-scale solution with nonprofit resources, the unexpected power of community, and why the future of sustainable fashion may depend on changing the way we design in the first place.

How has FABSCRAP's dedication to making reclaimed materials accessible helped cultivate innovation among the design industry?

We’ve found that encouraging others to design from “waste” can actually be more inspiring. When designers start with materials that already exist and have been saved from landfill, rather than choosing from an unlimited range of new fabrics, those constraints can push them to think more creatively and develop new approaches that also require them to build new skills. In many ways, the unpredictability of reclaimed materials becomes part of the design process. It challenges designers to experiment, problem-solve, and create in ways they might not have considered otherwise. One of the biggest parts of our reuse initiatives, though, has been encouraging brands to reconsider what fabrics truly need to remain proprietary and be immediately shredded, versus what could be made available to a broader community. Access to these designer fabrics is really where FABSCRAP has become such a resource, which is another reason FABSCRAP has always tried to make reclaimed fabrics as accessible as possible. Beyond our thrift-store pricing, volunteers can take fabric home as a thank-you for their time, and we also donate materials to charitable organizations and educational programs. Accessibility builds awareness, experimentation, skill-building, and positive change!

FABSCRAP has developed a team of over 10,000 volunteers in one community. What has been the most powerful part of creating a community that engages individuals toward one goal or incentive?

One of the most powerful parts has been giving our community a tangible way to help solve a problem that can otherwise feel distant or overwhelming. Traditionally, textile recycling and waste management haven’t engaged the public in the actual process of sorting and preparing fabrics for recycling, so we saw an opportunity to bring people into the process. Through volunteering, individuals are not only empowered to be part of the solution, but they also gain a much deeper understanding of where textile waste comes from and what happens to it. That experience can change the way people think about their own consumption and lifestyle choices. They begin to see that their individual decisions, like what they buy, how long they keep it, and how they dispose of it, etc, and how those choices are connected to a much larger waste system. Building a community around that shared purpose has been incredibly powerful because it turns an action into awareness, and more awareness becomes more action!

What was the biggest challenge that FABSCRAP faced during the start-up of the organization and in the ways it addressed textile waste in the fashion industry?

One of the biggest challenges in FABSCRAP’s early years was scaling to keep up with the enormous demand we were seeing from the fashion industry while operating on a nonprofit budget. We quickly realized that our recycling service was proven and, in fact, something that was missing in the industry, but then rushed to create the physical and operational infrastructure to properly handle the volume of material coming through our doors. Over the years, we had to revisit, correct, and fine-tune some of those decisions and processes, which also weren't properly funded at the time. It also meant building a team with the right combination of skills and then developing training for work that is, in many ways, unique to FABSCRAP. We were creating processes for sorting, processing, and managing textile waste without an established playbook, so we had to develop much of that knowledge through experience. We are essentially building an industry-scale solution with nonprofit-level resources. That requires us to be incredibly creative and resourceful in how we grow, while making sure our systems, team, and mission can keep pace with demand. In many ways, that challenge has shaped FABSCRAP into the organization it is today, and it remains ongoing!

What has it been like working with fashion brands while also operating as a nonprofit organization?

Overall, it’s been a very positive experience. We’ve found that many fashion industry professionals have always wanted a solution like FABSCRAP, especially for the textile waste they know is being generated but haven’t had a clear way to address. At the same time, our work has reminded us that education is one of the most important pieces of creating lasting change. It can’t just be the Sustainability department that understands what we’re working toward. Designers, production teams, sourcing, operations, facilities, and leadership all play a role in how materials are used and ultimately become waste. For real progress to happen, everyone within an organization needs to be aligned around the same goals and understand how their individual decisions contribute to the larger system. Working with brands has really reinforced for us that providing a solution is only part of the equation, and that we also have to help people understand how and why to use it.

Unlike other nonprofits that rely heavily on donations, FABSCRAP works directly with fashion brands to address textile waste. How has this business framework helped the organization grow and minimize this fashion footprint?

Our business framework has given FABSCRAP a fighting chance to pursue our mission while also building a financially sustainable organization. The service fees we charge fashion brands for our recycling and textile diversion services help cover the real costs of collecting, sorting, processing, and transporting their waste, rather than relying solely on donations to fund this work. Our model also reflects the reality that infrastructure is often overlooked or deprioritized in sustainability, but it's essential for meaningful change.

There seems to be a lack of awareness about the scale and impact of textile waste. What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about fashion waste?

One of the biggest misconceptions about fashion waste is that people tend to think of it as one single waste stream, rather than a collection of different streams happening simultaneously. For example, residential textile waste, also called “post-consumer” textile waste, includes clothing that consumers throw away or donate. This is probably the easiest to understand, and it is also the type of textile waste most recyclers focus on. But there is also commercial textile waste, also called “pre-consumer,” which is what FABSCRAP specifically diverts from landfill. Designers and manufacturers generate this pre-consumer waste. Residential and commercial textile waste each have very different sources, volumes, and disposal pathways, but they are often grouped together under the broad term “textile waste.” As a result, people may underestimate the overall scale of the problem because they see only the waste from their own closets, without considering the much larger system of waste generated throughout the fashion supply chain.

Looking back on FABSCRAP's journey and growth over the years, what accomplishment are you most proud of since the organization was founded, and why?

Looking back, I’m most proud of how FABSCRAP has touched a community of people who have joined our cause and continue to believe in what we’re trying to accomplish. I’ve had so many incredible individuals tell me that FABSCRAP has had a meaningful impact on their lives, whether through volunteering, finding a creative outlet, attending an event, etc. In many ways, hearing those stories has meant more to me than seeing the environmental impact we’ve been able to measure. FABSCRAP ends up having this “butterfly effect,” and the idea that what started as a solution to a very specific waste problem has gone on to influence people in ways we never could have anticipated is something I wasn’t prepared for, and it has personally given my own contributions to FABSCRAP so much more meaning. Knowing that the organization has created a community and touched people’s lives in ways that extend far beyond textile waste is something I’m incredibly proud of.

As FABSCRAP celebrates its 10th anniversary, what are the organization's main goals and areas of focus over the next few years?

Over the past 10 years, we’ve refined our recycling model and learned a great deal about what it takes to manage pre-consumer textile waste at scale. A lot of innovation and investment in textile recycling has focused on post-consumer waste, but pre-consumer waste remains a significant and often overlooked challenge. We need to close that gap, and part of that will require FABSCRAP to explore truly circular solutions for how we work with brands by unlocking new partnership opportunities and bringing greater visibility to innovative design approaches that consider waste and material recovery from the very beginning. Ultimately, our goal is not simply to recycle more, but to show that viable alternatives exist at many other points in the product cycle.

From your perspective, how is sustainability shaping the future of fashion, and what progress would you still like to see?

I think sustainability is helping people understand that the choices made at the beginning of a product’s life directly affect what happens at the end of its life. We’re starting to see more awareness that decisions around materials, design, production, and consumption ultimately influence how much waste is created and what can be done with a product once it is no longer wanted. I’d actually be really curious to see if these factors affect the future of fashion aesthetically. The progress I’d still like to see is for design and production departments to become much more active participants in creating solutions, rather than sustainability being addressed primarily at the end of the process. In addition, I’d love to see more schools and fashion programs modernize their curricula more frequently so students are prepared for the realities and challenges of an industry that is changing so quickly. The role of a designer is being redefined, and education needs to keep pace with the industry if we want the next generation to be better equipped to contribute to a more sustainable system.

Interview by Ali Rosoff, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
*Images courtesy of FABSCRAP

From Waste to Wonder: How FABSCRAP Is Rethinking Fashion’s Future