Soil is Miraculous…
“Everything starts with healthy soil”
Most of us don’t realise the impact soil has on fashion and the clothes we wear.
Everything starts with soil. High-end leather accessories are made from cows, raised on soil. The cotton used to make our t-shirts & jeans is grown from soil, as well as the trees used to make man-made-cellulosic fibres for other things such as Tencel.
The farm-to-fork movement has really stepped up over the last decade, and many of us are more aware of where exactly our food comes from and how well it is grown. The connection between carrots & soil is obvious, but swimwear? Not so much.
Generally speaking, consumers and brands are completely detached from the original source of clothing and accessories – and soil is the last thing on someone’s mind when browsing the shops for clothes.
Soil naturally sequesters carbon and plays a huge role in decarbonisation. Latest figures show that soil removes 25% of the worlds fossil fuel emissions and sequesters it underground. Soil is miraculous.
Unfortunately, large-scale industrial farming practises (whether for food, or clothing) completely overturns this, meaning harmful emissions are released back into the atmosphere at a quicker rate than soil can absorb it. This means that current rates of climate change are rising at a pace the world just can’t keep up with.
This is especially prevalent in cotton farming. Intensive use of pesticides and the conversion of large-scale habitats to agricultural use causes impacts on eco-systems and soil degradation. Intensive cotton growing is a catastrophe for the planet, it’s natural resources and ability to sequester carbon.
Regenerative agriculture has become increasingly popular. This is a phrase for farming practises that does away with harmful chemicals and pesticides, in a bid to rejuvenate the soil and its ability to capture carbon. Rather than simply doing less harm, this is a practise that will effectively have no harmful impacts, and only a positive impact on the planet.
This movement has been turning heads, and a couple of big fashion brands in the industry have declared that their supply chains now comprise of regenerative farming practises. But, with the lack of law and regulation around this topic at the moment, many brands are opting into the movement and using the phrase (or something similar) to suit themselves and draw more consumers in – yet more greenwashing.
One person who’s in the limelight is Arizona Muse. She’s a world-renowned fashion model, and activist. She founded DIRT, a charity that works to regenerate soil through supporting the bio-dynamic farm movement – highlighting that soil is one of the most important tools to tackle climate change head on. We are thrilled to have her speak at our 2022 hub… keep your eyes out on the programme announcement very soon!
We are proud supporters of the biodynamic farm movement, and so very happy to be partnered with Yeo Valley. The household brand is a pioneer in regenerative farming practises and have always stuck by their values with what they do. We’re also at Valley Fest this year, setting up camp at another regenerative farm… local to Bristol. We are going to be set up in the regen area – the first time they’ve put this area together, alongside some other great brands such as Fernhill Farm, who are part of the SouthWest England Fibreshed. Check them out for a deeper understanding on regenerative farming practises, and how the soil and our clothing fibres are inter-connected.
“All goodness is grown from the ground up”