Regenerative Fashion

by Safia Minney

Overview

As our climate, ecological and social crises converge, urgent action is needed to maximize our chances of survival. A new commercial approach is possible but it requires a systemic shift, with companies learning to operate as part of a wider 'ecosystem', allowing fashion to restore what it has taken.

Regenerative Fashion presents a roadmap for new ways of doing fashion. To keep our planet safe, we must cut production and end our dependency on fossil fuels. We must also create dignified livelihoods for the millions of people working in the industry. By using natural resources, paying factory workers and farmers a living wage and scaling up craft production, we can not only rebuild soils, ecosystems and biodiversity, but also support decarbonization, regenerate communities and ensure a just transition for all.

Part guide and part manifesto, this book shares stories of our interconnectedness with the natural world and each other, divided into sections on Nature & Materials; People, Livelihoods & Crafts; and New Economy & Leadership. Fully illustrated throughout, it features interviews from best-practice designers and businesses around the world, as well as thought pieces from leading campaigners within the industry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529419931
Publisher:	Quercus Publishing
Publication date:	11/28/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	61 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Safia Minney MBE is an award-winning social entrepreneur, speaker and advisor. She has over 20 years' experience as global CEO of the company she founded, People Tree, developing the first sustainable and Fair Trade supply chains and standards, and she has various advisory roles with businesses, networks and charities.

Table of Contents

Foreword 6

Introduction 8

Nature & Materials 14

Textile Exchange 28

Oshadi 32

Christy Dawn 38

SEKEM 40

Thought piece: Kate Fletcher 44

Southeast England Fibreshed 46

Tengri 48

H. Dawson Wool 52

Thought piece: Bel Jacobs 54

Bolt Threads 56

AlgiKnit 58

Orange Fiber 62

The Sustainable Angle 64

Common Objective 68

Thought piece: Clare Farrell 70

People, Livelihoods & Crafts 72

Bethany Williams 86

Nece Gene 92

Thought piece: Orsola de Castro 98

Kilomet 109 100

Azadeh Yasaman 104

Chloé 106

Thought piece: Tansy Hoskins 110

Five P 112

Khadi London 116

Birdsong 120

Thought piece: Asad Rehman 124

JARAFIN 126

KTS 128

Thought piece: Anannya Bhattacharjee 134

Sabahar 136

Global Mamas 142

Thought piece: Dilys Williams 146

Continental Clothing 148

Fair Wear Foundation 150

New Economy & Leadership 154

The OR Foundation 168

The Slum Studio 174

Thought piece: Rubana Huq 178

Reverse Resources 180

Ecoalf 182

Elvis & Kresse 186

Thought piece: Caryn Franklin 190

Eileen Fisher 192

Finisterre 196

Reskinned 202

Thought piece: Sandra Niessen 204

Patagonia 206

FARFETCH 212

Conclusion 216

Resources 218

Glossary 219

Index 220

Acknowledgements & credits 224

Editorial Reviews

08/29/2022

This thought-provoking outing by Minney (Slave to Fashion), CEO of fair-trade fashion company People Tree, advocates for sustainable and ethical practices in the fashion industry. Fashion has the ability to “restore what it has taken from the natural world and revive communities,” she contends, exploring sustainable business models through interviews with designers, businesspeople, and activists. Minney suggests that fashion should take cues from regenerative agriculture, which seeks to implement production processes that promote soil and ecosystem health. Several interviewees emphasize the importance of going local, as when Bethany Williams, the designer of the eponymous label, notes that doing so cuts transportation costs and generates jobs within the community. Other interviews with industry insiders from such brands as Eileen Fisher, the Fair Wear Foundation, and Patagonia discuss how to ensure fair wages for textile workers, improve sustainability, and negotiate necessary trade-offs (the product director of outdoor clothing company Finisterre says that consumers should be willing to “pay a bit more” for “better products that last longer”). Minney’s stimulating interviews offer a panoramic view of the innovative ways the fashion world is grappling with the need for more sustainable and ethical practices. The result is a fascinating look at how the fashion industry can design a more equitable future. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

08/01/2022

Long active in revolutionizing the way fashion is created, British social entrepreneur Minney (Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution) promotes a holistic and sustainable approach to the way clothes are manufactured. Her book also goes further, to the need to change the entire cycle of clothing production and use from start to end. Minney explains how the concept of regeneration affects both farming and textiles. The book is divided into three sections: "Nature and Materials"; "People, Livelihoods and Craft"; and "New Economy and Leadership," Minney includes a plethora of in-depth interviews with industry leaders both big and small from all over the world, as well as researchers and designers. A variety of natural fibers including cotton, wool, orange fiber, and kelp are introduced and explored in detail. Of particular interest are Minney's explanations of the regenerative cycle, such as a colorful diagram of regenerative wool and the sections on adapting new business models. Striking color pictures are included in all three sections. VERDICT This book will appeal to a broad array of readers. Fans of ethical fashion, as well as those interested in sustainability, regenerative farming, minimalism, fair trade, and climate change, will all find something to love.—Holly Hebert

Library Journal