“fibershed” from Zoe Minikes on Vimeo. This is the first short video produced for Fibershed– created by the ‘Oh-so-Talented‘ and thoughtful Zoe Minikes. The conceptualizer and founder of a ‘a current exchange,‘ a project that delves into how humans assign value to aspects of our material and non-material culture. The video she created is a […]
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Farm to Fashion: Accessories from the Soil
The Fibershed wardrobe is growing, and as it expands, so does our story of bio-regional textiles. The most recently created pieces highlight the aesthetic brilliance of knitwear designer, Zara Franks–the creator and visionary behind Venn apparel. The sheep that Franks is kindly reaching out to in the above photo, is the source for the one and […]
Read MorePlanting Blue… in the rain.
The quiet of the sky, and the interspersed drops of rain were a welcoming combination that led us to the western end of the San Geronimo Valley. It is here where Mt. Barnabe stands–its southern exposed slope is covered in chaparral (filled with dye plants), to the north the ridges are dotted with douglas fir, […]
Read MorePart I: The Natural Hues of Cotton; A History of Seeds and Soils
Traveling northeast from our Fibershed studio doorstep, where the central valley meets the eastern foothills of the California coastal range, there exists an alluvial and highly fertile valley known as Capay. This area is apart of an ancient Fibershed once tended by Pomo basketweavers for the collection of fibers provided by willow, sedge, and redbud. […]
Read MoreBetween Soil and Skin: Our Mill
Making Fibershed clothes from within our designated 150 mile radius continues to be a deep exploration into local resources. This exploration led the Fibershed team on a drive northeast on highway 113, and down the lesser known road 27, to visit Jane Dreamer, and her Yolo Wool Mill. The process of experimenting with the locally […]
Read MoreClothes in Color Grown Cotton
May 1st arrived, and so did the first Fibershed clothes. The wardrobe was launched with some functional basics- a shell, and a pair of loose fitting bolero pants. The fabric for these pieces was woven and knit from Sally Fox’s organic color grown cotton. Fox’s farm resides in Guinda, California, just 90 miles from my […]
Read MoreAhh… the First Socks
These gorgeous socks were created with the wool of Windrush farm (30 miles) from my home. The farm is run by Mimi Luebberman, a wonderful fiber enthusiast who has all of her sheep’s wool processed and naturally dyed for sale at local farmer’s markets. She also hosts and educates the local community children in an […]
Read MoreFibershed on Cultural Energy Radio
Thank you Robin Collier of Cultural Energy Radio! This was the first Fibershed interview, and it is a good one. Fibershed Interview Click Here What I love about Robin’s interview style is that he moves into the subject matter with deep knowledge and wisdom of the topic. He understands the process of natural dyes and […]
Read MoreDesigns and Dye Plants
The Fibershed talent is pouring forth like the waters of our rainfed creeks and streams. Monica has been working her magic with Sally Fox’s boucle color-grown cotton. This week was about test swatches and dye plants. Monica and I made a plan to go the farm that she works at to see about dye plants, […]
Read MoreFibershed Design Process…
Today was spent in Occidental, amongst the redwoods, chickens, goats, and good design everywhere I looked. This is Heidi Iverson, standing outside her renovated red barn studio. She is the knitwear designer who drafted patterns and knit the pieces for our recent book project, and who is currently designing many elements of the of the […]
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