Christy Dawn Petersen, model turned entrepreneur, is making dresses out of deadstock fabrics.

This LA-based dressmaker has built a brand out of deadstock fabrics -- yes, the stuff designers and manufacturers leave behind on the sewing table. Routinely, manufacturers buy 10% extra fabric. However, that 10% adds up quickly when it’s for every style in a collection; some brands have more than three dozen styles in a seasonal collection. Some estimate that there are 40 billion square meters of leftover textiles worldwide each year.

Christy Dawn Petersen, a model-turned-entrepreneur, used $20,000 of her savings to launch a brand that would create limited edition pieces using only deadstock. Four years ago, when she launched Christy Dawn few brands were focused so deeply on deadstock fabrics and sustainability.