Queen of Raw
An online sustainable materials marketplace for the fashion and lifestyle industries
What if excess textile stock remaining in warehouses did not end up in landfills?
THE PROBLEM
Although some textile manufacturers are taking innovative steps toward sustainability by creating fabrics derived from recycled plastic bottles, using such biological sources as milk, coffee, fruit, and bacteria to create fabrics, or printing fabrics on 3D printers, waste is still a huge problem in the textile industry. As there is no easy way for designers to source these materials directly from suppliers, and since many suppliers do not keep sufficient track of their inventory, the resulting excess stock remaining in warehouses ends up in landfills. Queen of Raw is the solution.
THE INNOVATION
Queen of Raw is an online marketplace connecting designers with global suppliers selected for their innovative raw materials, sustainability value, and avant-garde approach to fashion and technology.
The model: Queen of Raw provides an online destination where designers can connect with suppliers to source excess stock of cutting-edge raw materials. On QueenofRaw.com, designers can create digital mood boards for their collections and then purchase these raw materials with the click of a button directly from suppliers. Through Queen of Raw, traditional brick-and-mortar suppliers are given the opportunity to compete in online retail, offload their overstock, and reach a new customer base.
THE VISION
The Queen of Raw business model has the potential to change the way people procure raw materials. The vision is to build the number one platform for sustainable sourcing across the fashion and lifestyle industries and empower designers to design smarter. Queen of Raw estimates that by 2025, this solution can help save more than 4 billion gallons of water and 2 million pounds of chemicals.
”We know that to disrupt a whole industry and create a more sustainable society we need to collaborate with the most powerful thinkers globally. That is why we applied for the LAUNCH Nordic Innovation Challenge 2016. Together we can change the world.
– Stephanie Benedetto, CEO Queen of Raw, 2016.