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The Journal
30 / 01 / 2025
Q&A with Deborah and Piarvé of Last Yarn
Moma Hilo x Last Yarn: A Conversation with Deborah and Piarvé on deadstock fabric and creating a more circular fashion industry.
At Moma Hilo, we believe in the power of thoughtful sourcing, which is why deadstock fabrics are at the heart of everything we do. In our latest Q&A, our founder, Penelope, sits down with Deborah and Piarvé, the duo behind Last Yarn, a UK-based platform that gives surplus fabrics a second life. They discuss why deadstock is such an important resource, the benefits of sourcing locally, and how Last Yarn is making high-quality materials more accessible for designers and makers. Read on to discover how they’re tackling textile waste and reshaping sustainable fashion.
Penelope: Let’s start with a little intro—why did you start Last Yarn, and how long have you been in business?
Last Yarn: We are a platform that allows buyers and sellers to circulate surplus fabrics in the UK. Fashion mills, factories and design studios sell their excess fabrics, with access to their own dashboard and inventory, and anyone can access our website and buy from them - we do not have minimums.
We set up Last Yarn because we (Deborah and Piarvé) witnessed first hand how much fabric we had every year at the end of every collection, and realised that others must have this problem too. We want Last Yarn to give people access to amazing fabrics, here in the UK, and to give brands and businesses an opportunity to sell their fabrics which would either end up in landfill or piling up in warehouses.
Last Yarn has been up and running for a year. Although we had spent two years prior developing our tech and marketplace.
Penelope: Deadstock fabric is at the core of what we both do. Can you explain what “deadstock fabric” means for anyone that doesn’t know and why it’s such an important resource?
Last Yarn: Yes - for us, deadstock is good quality fabric that has not been used for a long period of time due to overstock or cancellations. This fabric would normally be sold off and tends to end up in landfill. Deborah is a designer and Piarvé worked in Interior Design and we both saw rolls of fabrics that would end up in storage or destined for the bin.
Deadstock has existed for years, however textile waste has become a massive issue over the past few years due to overproduction. This has meant that there are tonnes of fabrics that are never used and we believe that it can be a cost effective way for smaller designers and makers to access high quality fabrics.
Penelope: From a sustainability perspective, what are the benefits of working with deadstock fabrics? How does it contribute to a more circular approach to fashion?
Last Yarn: Textile production takes up a lot of resources - from water, to toxic dyes ending up in waterways and the cost of transportation - it all adds up. We have found sellers with amazing inventory full of fabrics here in the UK, and by making the choice to buy locally, you are already reducing your carbon footprint.
On a more practical note, our buyers do not have to pay import fees which have been on the rise, and do not need to deal with the faff of customs as everything on our marketplace is already in the UK. The fabric is also delivered in 2-3 days, or you can pick it up from our showroom in North London - so it does make the process of finding fabrics much easier.
Deadstock is great as it allows designers to use materials that already exist and pushes designers to have a material first approach, which is also a more circular way to design as it’s all about problem solving.
Penelope: And from a brand perspective, what would you say are the benefits of using deadstock fabrics when designing a collection?
Last Yarn: Designing smaller and meaningful collections are a great way to manage waste and it’s a nice message to communicate with your customers. Using deadstock locally means that you can turn around projects faster, so if you have a tight deadline, you can easily find what you need. It can take weeks to source fabrics internationally and have them shipped here (in the UK). Repurposing fabrics also means that you can build a nice relationship with the seller - our platform shares information about the seller - and we love hearing the stories behind each roll that is uploaded onto Last Yarn.
Penelope: Let’s talk about your space! How long have you been at your current office/ studio, and what do you love most about it?
Last Yarn: We have been at our current studio since the beginning! The space, which we call our fabric room, belongs to our first seller, who owned the oldest bridal company in the country, and we worked with them to unpack thousands of meters of fabrics. This was when we realised that Last Yarn was needed as there weren't many options for brands like theirs. We love the high tables which is probably a pattern cutter's dream (have you ever tried cutting fabric at home?) We also love that it is home to so many different types of fabrics! It’s quite the Aladdins cave.
Penelope: It really is, I love it there! What does a typical day at Last Yarn look like? We’d love a little peek behind the scenes.
Last Yarn: Whilst we love fabrics, a lot of Last Yarn is tech based. We usually have a meeting first thing where we spend time catching up, before looking at the backend of the platform. We have a look at what fabrics are selling, the sellers that we need to approve. We have a look at our calendar for meetings, but most importantly who is coming into the fabric room.
We spend a lot of time with our web developers who are constantly making updates and making sure that the platform is safe. We have recently worked on a few high-tech projects such as our digital moodboard where you can save your favourite fabrics; we’ve created 3D fabric swatches and most recently an app that uses AI to populate the inventory fields by taking a picture of the fabric - it saves us so much time! We do alot of brainstorming as we want more people to feel comfortable buying fabrics online. Our sellers often send us samples, so we might spend some time photographing, coming up with messaging and creating content. When we’ve had a long day our go to office treats are cheese twists or bagels!
Penelope: What’s the most requested type of deadstock fabric? Are there particular materials or patterns that designers and brands are always searching for?
Last Yarn: Silk and velvet are very popular all year round. Especially as we have pure silks and plenty of silk blends. We have an amazing collection of jacquards that receive plenty of compliments during visits - they are embossed in different patterns and colour ways and they are stunning in person. Whenever a seller comes in with cotton or denim or linen, more traditional fibres - they go quick.
Penelope: How do you source your deadstock fabrics? Can you share a little insight into the process?
Last Yarn: We reach out to brands and mills that share the same ethos as us. However we also get loads of brands reaching out to us directly. It’s very important that we are reselling genuine deadstock, so anyone can sign up to be a seller - however our team has to approve the application before selling starts. We arrange an introduction call, sometimes we visit the location, or they might give us a video tour. Once a seller's profile is approved they have access to their very own portal and can start selling.
Penelope: We know you work with a mix of clients—designers, individuals, and more. What services do you offer, and how do you cater to the different needs of your customers?
Last Yarn: Firstly we offer thousands of meters of fabrics with zero MOQs, accessible directly from our website. We also have consultations which primarily help designers or brands find the right fabrics for their collections and projects - we work with their moodboard and source deadstock together. We also work with larger brands to help them manage their inventory and track their fabrics, we also work with both small and large brands to convert a higher percentage of their fabric sourcing to deadstock.
Penelope: Finally, what’s been the most rewarding part of running Last Yarn so far? Any standout moments that make you proud of what you’ve built?
Last Yarn: We love helping our buyers and sellers connect, and seeing the amazing collections that stem from our deadstock, especially when we are invited to the shows. However we really love that we are able to keep The Last Yarn Academy going.
"The Academy is our non profit arm whereby we gift fabrics and sponsorships to students in order to help them with their university collections."
Material costs can add up for fashion students. There are so many negative stats about the fashion industry and we believe it’s important that the next generation are equipped to challenge our current norms confidently and to embed sustainable solutions from the start. We’ve worked with the Jimmy Choo Academy, Central Saint Martins and Middlesex University directly, but we’ve recently rolled out the sponsorship to universities across the UK.
Working with Last Yarn has been a joy, if you'd like to find out more about them or to arrange a visit to their Wood Green fabric room, you can contact them at: lastyarn.com
Follow Last Yarn on Instagram here.
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