How do we get from soil to skin? From raw fiber to finished clothing or goods? We might ask ourselves these questions about our food, but we rarely stop to think about it as deeply when it comes to our garments. This article helps to educate, demystify, and describe the sheep shearing process to create a richer understanding and respect for the process that provides wool for clothing and goods.
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Harm in The Guise of Doing Good
Written by Veronica Kassatly In my last post for Fibershed, we talked about fashion’s purported commitment to the UN SDGs; about how those are underpinned by the Brundtland report’s definition […]
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Bread and Sweaters: How Grain and Grazing Benefits Food and Fiber Systems
Written by Marie Hoff Paige Green Photography Grazing and grain are ancient, connected in a relationship of survival that, through their mutual adaptation, support the varied and complex world that […]
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Regional Fibershed Communities Adapt to Global Climate Change
What rapidly changing weather conditions mean for our regional fibersheds and how innovative farmers and ranchers are stepping up to the challenges. The largest scientific expedition in Arctic history took […]
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Degrowth: An Economic Framework that Values Ecosystem Capacity, Human Dignity, and Self Sufficiency
The mainstream fashion industry’s supply chains are not linear but operate in an economy with a take, make, and waste production model. This model takes mass amounts of raw materials and releases carbon emissions into the atmosphere; uses exploited labor to make these materials into products; then those products are wasted and “thrown away,” usually to a landfill in a low-income community of color. The driving force for this production model is to create infinite amounts of profit by producing as many things as possible for as cheaply as possible. This necessitates destroying the earth and simultaneously exploiting low-wage workers, who are mostly women of color. This belief in endlessly growing the economy is one of the main reasons why the fashion industry has to be completely transformed. Luckily, alternatives exist and are being built at this very moment.
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Intuitive Weaving at Henderson Studios
Written and Photographed by Koa Kalish Jennie Henderson is a prolific textile artist on the wild northern coast of California. Nestled in the small town of Point Arena, is Jennie’s […]
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Our Statement on the COP26 Volunteer Uniforms
World leaders have been meeting over the past week at the U.N. Climate Change Conference— COP26—to discuss the need for meaningful action to address the climate crisis. Core to Fibershed’s […]
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A Small Footprint on the Earth, A Big Impression on Farmers: How These 8 Farms Are Raising Alpacas Sustainably
The benefits of raising alpaca go beyond their provision of fiber. Alpacas are naturally gentle creatures, generating a minimal environmental footprint that enables alpaca farmers to integrate the herd into […]
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Climate Change and Agriculture: How Food and Fiber Work Together for Climate
Sustainable food production needs to include fiber systems in order to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint and heal our planet. In this article, we discuss the link between climate change, agriculture, and food and fiber systems.
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Hopland Research and Extension Center’s Hedgerow
Written and Photographed by Karen Rifkin Before entering the fenced-in area of hedgerow plantings, a flock of friendly rams trot up, eagerly, to see if it’s feeding time. Realizing their […]
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