Shelly Xu Design

Shelly Xu Design (SXD) is a fashion-tech company that provides a software solution to transform leftover and wasted textiles into zero-waste clothing. The company's patent-pending, AI-powered algorithm can turn a design sketch into a zero-waste pattern, aiming to reduce production costs by approximately 55% and the carbon footprint by over 80%.

The venture was founded by Shelly Xu, who was inspired to combat the fashion industry's environmental impact after witnessing a field from her childhood become covered in textile waste. Xu's background includes a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and experiences at McKinsey, Prada, and Instagram. Her upbringing in a small home taught her the principle of "creativity under constraint," which now guides the company's mission to find beauty within limits. While at Harvard, SXD won the grand prize for social impact at the 2021 New Venture Competition.

SXD operates with a dual business model. It develops its core software for brand partners, charging a fixed fee for a managed service where SXD co-designs with brands using its in-house algorithm. Concurrently, the company produces its own branded apparel and merchandise. This serves as a form of research and development, feeding data back into the algorithm while generating short-term revenue. The company also partners with other sustainable brands, such as a collaboration with Katla to create an open-source, zero-waste hoodie design. To produce its garments, SXD works with local seamstresses and climate refugees, paying them fair wages.

Keywords: zero-waste fashion, sustainable design, textile waste reduction, fashion technology, circular economy, AI in fashion, upcycling, sustainable apparel, clothing design software, ethical manufacturing, deadstock fabric, carbon footprint reduction, eco-fashion, fashion innovation, supply chain efficiency, cost reduction, on-demand manufacturing, social enterprise, brand partnerships, material optimization