By Francesca Trovato. Image cover courtesy of Zero Waste.
How Deadstock Is Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion
In an era where sustainability is no longer optional, fashion is being called to radically rethink its wasteful practices. At the heart of this shift is ZERO WASTE, a platform that is revolutionizing how luxury brands handle their surplus materials. We sat down with CEO Gabriele Rorandelli during an exclusive event at Villa Biagiotti in Florence, where he shared his journey, the mission behind ZERO WASTE, and how deadstock can become a catalyst for creative and sustainable change. From launching Zero Lab to supporting emerging designers and pushing the boundaries of circular fashion, ZERO WASTE is not only reimagining how fashion operates—it’s proving that with the right tools and vision, waste can be transformed into opportunity.
ZERO WASTE: A Platform Turning Deadstock Into Design Gold
How did ZERO WASTE come about? How would you describe it to someone who doesn’t know it?
ZERO WASTE is a platform that supports the luxury fashion industry in reselling its leftover materials. So, we’re starting from a concept that’s well known within the sector, but maybe less familiar to outsiders: fashion generates a huge amount of surplus at all stages of the creative and production process. These materials pile up over time in warehouses, until eventually there’s no more room—and brands resort to different solutions, some more sustainable than others.
What we offer is a marketplace that gives brands a tool to instantly connect with a global network of buyers, artisans, designers, and students who can purchase these materials and turn them into something new and unique.
How ZERO WASTE Supports Emerging Designers in Leather and Accessories
We know that in 2022 you opened your first Zero Lab. What kind of experience do you offer customers in the showroom and lab?
Zero Lab was created to support emerging designers at every stage of the creative and production journey, and to lower the barriers that often arise when someone wants to start their own project—mainly in leather goods and accessories. We began with a co-working concept: an open lab, where anyone can come, find materials, connect with people, and receive real support to take their first steps—from sketching an idea to refining the product.
Later, we developed consulting services, both for prototyping and production, that guide designers through each phase—from the first prototype to production samples, to initial runs, and eventually to conversations with local factories. It’s a lab designed to truly accelerate the growth of an emerging brand. And we’re based in Scandicci, home to the world’s leading luxury leather companies—so we also help connect aspiring designers from all over the world with our local supply chain.
Deadstock: The Fastest Route to Sustainable Fashion Innovation
How can deadstock change—and even revolutionize—the fashion industry?
Well, let’s say it can—and in many ways, it already is—especially when combined with other approaches, like innovative materials or recycling. The truth is, we need all of it: reducing waste downstream, managing it digitally and transparently, and creating solutions for the end of a material’s life.
Deadstock, however, is certainly the most immediate solution. It’s something we can address right away and something our platform actively enables. That’s why we’re proud to push this message and to have started this journey from here.
From Reuse to Circular Fashion: How Waste Becomes Opportunity
Why are creative reuse and circular fashion key concepts in your work?
Because for us, they represent both the starting point and the final goal. It all begins with a concrete action aimed at changing the fashion system: a warehouse gets full, and we need to find a new purpose for those materials. From that necessity, our identity and vision were born.
We’re now exploring this through different services and different models, trying to make access and purchasing easier and easier for designers. For us, circular fashion also means something broader—starting with creative reuse and conscious material selection, all the way to systems that reduce waste in the production phase and tools that enable materials to be reused at the end of their lifecycle.
We start with what’s available today in the supply chain, but we’re also expanding into recycling project management and working to support the transition to eco-design, a new regulation that’s bringing major change to the sector. Reuse is our foundation—but circular fashion is our future.
Do you have any future projects you can give us a preview of?
We’re integrating new features into our platform—not only material resale, but also recycling. All the scraps that can’t be resold will be managed through a network of partners to create new products and materials, not only for fashion but also for packaging, design, and even publishing.
So you’re not just focused on fashion anymore?
Exactly. For this area, yes—we already have many furnishing fabrics on our website, so there’s a whole interior design side we’re in dialogue with as well.
How did it feel to participate in an event at the historic Villa Biagiotti in Florence?
It was emotional in many ways—sharing this moment with the brands and people we collaborate with every day, and doing so in a setting that also gives something back. We’re proud to have reached this point. We’re still an emerging reality, but we’re eager to grow, and we truly believe that events like this can help us do that.
Tips for Young Designers: Starting Out in Sustainable Fashion
What advice would you give to young people who want to work in recycling and sustainable fashion—or to young designers?
To start right away—and to do so with the support of those who can guide them, both in terms of materials, which is an initial step, but especially in the production and distribution phases. My advice is to combine your creativity with the experience of those who can help you build a project that’s successful from a business standpoint. Strive to balance creativity with practicality, and aim for a style suited to everyday life.That will help you scale, grow, and reach wider distribution. Be concrete—but above all, start now. This is truly a golden moment for circular fashion.
