FABCYCLE is a collection service for fabric waste that works directly with local garment manufacturers like factories, fashion designers, sewing labs, and schools to collect the scraps, off-cuts, deadstock, and ends of rolls left during the apparel production process to reuse or recycle what they cannot use and divert it from ending up in the landfill.
Their mission is to divert textile waste from landfills by finding creative solutions and promoting the sustainable mindset of waste as a resource.
In February 2019, they opened the Textile Waste ReUSE Center in Vancouver, B.C. The purpose of the ReUSE Center is to provide an open and inclusive physical space for the local creative community to come together and experiment with textile waste.
They encourage artists, designers, and creative minds of all skill levels, backgrounds, orientations, and identities to experiment with scraps and deadstock fabric and develop innovative and exciting ideas to divert textile waste from landfills.
They also have an online store where they offer the materials collected from the apparel industry for free or at highly reduced prices.
FABCYCLE’s ReUSE Community work with artists and designers to provide them with materials they can use in their creative work
They act as service providers in textile recycling and assist businesses in producing fabric waste on an ongoing basis through their fabric waste collection program.
Currently, the pickups are limited to Metro Vancouver, but FABCYCLE is interested and striving to expand their service outside their coverage area.
They work primarily with organizations with a larger amount of textile waste, like scraps, off-cuts, damages, etc., or a more consistent flow of textile waste, like swatches or samples.
Reimagining Waste
Irina McKenzie is the founder of FABCYCLE. She is a social entrepreneur and an avid advocate of the circular economy and sustainability in the fashion industry.
Irina launched FABCYCLE in 2017 as a B2B textile waste collecting service to empower designers to disrupt the garment production cycle and transform waste into resources by finding novel ways to reuse, recycle, and recover fabric waste.
Prior to FABCYCLE, Irina also founded Frameworq Education Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing back repair skills, building resilient communities, and diverting textile waste from landfills. It is an event-based program that brings designers and customers together to explore their relationship with the clothing through a hands-on interactive approach.
Frameworq has collaborated with various groups to integrate cooperation and curiosity into the sustainability of clothes, holding events like design competitions, recurrent fix-it events, clothing swaps, exhibitions, and fashion shows.
Irina’s passion for sustainability is the creative driving force behind FABCYCLE, ensuring that no usable fabric goes to waste and connecting textile makers with affordable and accessible materials.
FABCYCLE engages the local creative community, connects with the industry, and works with national and international partners to identify innovative outlets and solutions to reuse, recycle, or recover textile waste. For more information about their initiatives, services, and programs, visit the website at https://www.fabcycle.shop/.
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