FABSCRAP SAMPLE SALE 🛍️ Monday 6/30!

We've been stockpiling perfect ready-to-wear samples from our 850+ clients!

Welcome to Better Together’s bi-weekly newsletter, where we believe that the more we work together, the greater impact. Written by Rachel Ceruti, Director of Community @ FABSCRAP. This quarter’s theme is - Sewing Circles & System Change!

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A Sample Sale like no other!

GRAB YOUR SPOT HERE!

Here’s what you need to know:

• All pieces are $8 OR 5 pieces for $35

• There is a range of sizes with most falling under S, M, & L. But, we have some that are XS and 1-2X.

• The general categories are:

  • 👚Tops & Blouses

  • 👗Dresses & Skirts

  • 🩳Shorts & Pants

  • 🏋️Athleisure

  • 👙Swimwear & Lingerie

  • 🧥Jackets & Sweaters

• We haven't sorted out Men's separately, though we do have a fair amount - it is mostly women's.

  • We also have some children's.

• The reuse room (our shop) will be open during this sale; but all fabrics, trims, and imperfect samples will be at their usual prices

  • Which are already incredibly priced, might I add!

• We’re going to try to slapdash a changing room with hanging fabric ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• What else are we missing? Comment questions, ideas, curiosities - it helps us learn & grow!!

This is also our first sample sale!

We've been stockpiling perfect ready-to-wear sample garments from the 850+ brands we partner with to be shopped by you!

Samples are prototypes of a clothing design used to test and refine the fit or material before a brand commits to large scale production. These garments are not able to be sold and typically end up in landfills after the testing period.

That is where FABSCRAP comes in, brands send us their sample garments, both perfect and imperfect, to be given another life.

This is where you come in, our community shops these samples, both for ready to wear and fun mending projects, to support FABSCRAP’s mission!

For this event we are showcasing samples in perfect, ready-to-wear condition!

Also, we’re rebranding Mendables

Literally nothing about our products, offerings, prices, nor shop is changing. We’re just changing “mendables” to “samples” - the latter to cover both perfect & imperfect.

Basically, we did some analysis and realized we're taking a lot of time educating people on what the heck we mean by “mendable(s)” and a lot of people are not understanding. If you know FABSCRAP, or any non-profit for that matter, time is not a resource we have lots of. The FAB team put their heads together and decided to call these products what they are - samples!

Now, of course, our samples can be different from those you see in SoHo or on Sex in the City. That’s because we receive “mutilated samples” which come from the design process. This can be little snips, writing/marking on the product, full sleeves missing, a big circle cut out of the back, and/or lots and lots of pins! I’ll dive into why this happens in another post but to stay on topic, let’s treat mutilated (imperfect) and untouched (perfect) samples like the blessing they are thanks to FABSCRAP - an affordable option and/or fun project that you can flaunt to your friends about (once you finally get to it).

If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, all the more reason to join us on Monday!

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🔗Textile Resources

• Did you make something with FABSCRAP material? We want to see it - tell us about it here!

• Menders or want-to-be-menders: this resrouce with videos, insights, tutorials, written directions, and more is EVERYTHING! 10/10

• Dear Fashion CEOs, Stop Undermining Climate Action, from our favorite, Maxine Bédat

• If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with eBay’s investment in circular fashion—combine that with data and analysis, and of course it’s at the top of my list: EBay launches resale trend report

• Listen: Extending Apparel Lifespan w/ThredUp CEO James Reinhart

• New Yorkers, let’s keep fighting against Climate Change w/Hour of Action!

• The Real Real & SuperCircle partner up.

• Seeking global early-stage ideas that could utilise the cellulosicpowder created during the polycotton separation process, deadline June 30th.

• It’s picnic snz ya’ll!

• Garment District rezoning plan approved despite opposition from CFDA and others. (more on this in the last article below too).

*To volunteer at FABSCRAP, you are required to create an account. This is a big step for our business and we’re so excited to continute rolling out the capabilities this allow us (& you)!

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👁️ Deep Dives

“AJA BARBER”

1.She’s the best! 2. Last Wednesday we had an amazing conversation with her, if you haven’t listened already, I’d strongly encourage you to. Yes, it’s behind a paywall but that $5 goes straight to FABSCRAP providing more programming like this. 3. We discussed topics ranging from the “affordability” and/or “accessibility” of fast fashion, responsibility of consumption, mental health’s relationship to consumption, Aja’s “No Presents Rule”, our own surprise when we evaluate all the ‘stuff’ we have, implications of social media, check-out analytics, and shopping local, & more! 4. She recommended a book I’m currently engulfed in and cannot recommend enough, Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams.

Watch/Listen Here

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“ADVOCACY THROUGH NEEDLEWORK”

On Tuesday, a dozen of our community members gathered to learn embroidery and advocate for The Fashion Act. After learning and sharing about why this piece of legislation is important AND what it is, our community learned 3 embroidery stitches. They then used these stitches to embroider a letter, making a banner to be hung in the FABSCRAP warehouse supporting “The Fashion Act” (I’ll post the banner here when it’s finished)!

Join our next workshop on July 7th to learn Visible Mending Skills AND Help Repair FABSCRAP Bags! Beginner Friendly & All Materials Provided!

Join Us!

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“GARMENT DISTRICT”

Could the city’s next “24/7 neighborhood” come at the cost of 5,000 garment-district jobs and the artisans who keep Broadway, Fashion Week, and your favorite vintage finds alive? Last week, designers, theater unions, longtime glove-makers, and many of you reading this rallied in Midtown to warn that the proposed Midtown South rezoning could bulldoze historic lofts—and the circular, hyper-local supply chain that powers sustainable fashion in New York. From century-old oak-floored factories to immigrant-owned pleating studios, they say every stitch of the district is on the line. Dive in to see why advocates believe saving these blocks is about more than nostalgia—it’s about the future of ethical, home-grown textiles.

Learn More

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Thanks for reading!

Please like, comment, & share - it really helps AND means a lot : )

-Rachel