Off Cut's Circular Approach
Forty million tonnes of textile waste are produced annually by the global fashion industry, which ends up in landfills, is incinerated, or is disposed of in developing countries such as Kenya. The production of textiles consumes vast amounts of scarce natural resources, such as water, land, and other raw materials.
At Off Cut Kenya, we address precisely these critical issues by sourcing textile waste, pre-owned materials such as bed sheet, duvets, comforters and curtains, discarded by consumers in developing nations. We meticulously curate our materials by hand, exclusively from local second-hand markets in Kenya and sellers of fabric leftovers so called maziwa fabrics from export processing zones.* These leftovers, also known as off-cuts, among others, are creatively converted into timeless and durable clothing for a broad range of sustainability-conscious consumers. Through the closed-loop system, in which materials are reused, Off Cut plays an active role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a more sustainable fashion industry. Today, less than 10% of the global textile market is composed of recycled material, a figure far too low in our opinion. With Off Cut, our vision is to change this by upcycling fabrics with potential.
*maziwa fabrics originate from surplus materials of larger manufacturers in Kenya, who discard these fabric leftovers through local second-hand vendors.