Support Sustainable Fashion with One Brick and FABSCRAP!

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Volunteering at FABSCRAP is a great way to support sustainable infrastructure for the fashion and design industries. Textile recycling requires a lot of manpower. There is no mechanized system for sorting textiles by fiber or to remove stickers, staples, and fabric headers (yet!). This is why our volunteers are so important and make such a difference. It's easy to learn and fun to do. On average, volunteers sort ~2,000 lbs of fabric every week! FABSCRAP works because of the enthusiasm and effort of people like you.

WHAT WE'LL BE DOING:

Each session is approximately 3 hours long with 8 positions available. Directions to the warehouse are provided below.

Here's how a session works:

Intros and a tour of FABSCRAP (10 minutes)

Learn how to sort the fabric scraps (15 minutes)

Sort! (2.5 hours)

Shop for fabric

To thank you for your time, your first 5 lbs of fabric are FREE, and you'll get the discount student rate ($3/lb) if you'd like to purchase additional material.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

We welcome all sorters over the age of 18!

Please...

• Dress comfortably and wear comfortable shoes
• Bring an extra bag to carry your free fabric home
• We play music, but feel free to bring headphones
• There is a cafe at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, but bring water and snacks if you need them The warehouse can be warm in the summer!
• NOTE: Sorting fabric requires the use of sharp scissors and some moderate lifting (20-30 lbs). If this is of concern, please let us know when you arrive. There's other tasks we need help with!

WHERE TO MEET: DIRECTIONS TO BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL

SUBWAY: N/R to 59th Street

BUS: B9 , B11, and B37 Lines

DRIVING: 20 minutes from Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge or the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and connecting to the Gowanus Expressway (I-278). Free, secure on-site parking is available.

FERRY: South Brooklyn Route

FINDING FABSCRAP

When approaching from 58th Street, follow signs for Pedestrian Entrance. Building B is the building closest to 2nd Avenue. When you enter the building, walk all the way to the back of the lobby and go through the glass doors to the atrium with the train tracks. Walk along the center pathway to the VERY END of the atrium, where you'll go through another glass door. Use the elevator on your right to come up to the 5th floor. Go through the door on your left.

FABSCRAP:

FABSCRAP is a 501c3 nonprofit working to divert discarded fabric from brands and designers in NYC for recycling and reuse. Volunteering with FABSCRAP will begin with a tour and explanation of our role in achieving a more sustainable fashion industry before volunteers are given a quick training in sorting. Participants will be separating fabric from paper headers and deconstructing sample garments to sort material by fiber types for recycling. Sorting is straightforward and fun as volunteers go through bags of designer fabrics to sort through a variety of material and fiber types. Volunteers can keep the treasure they find and select up to 5 lbs of material for free as a 'thank you' for their time!