The future of sustainable fashion lies in the hands of the agricultural industry. A key tool to make the fashion supply chain more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint. The fashion industry needs to find ways to humanize sustainability and work with consumers in a more transparent and collaborative way. These actions may be the way to inspire a mindset shift in how people connect with their clothes, those who make them and the impacts on the planet. The industry needs to search for ways to humanize sustainability and work with consumers in a more transparent and collaborative way. These actions may be the way to inspire a mindset shift in how people connect with their clothes, those who make them and the impacts on the planet. California fashion brand Christy Dawn is one of the latest examples of how the farm-to-closet revolution is expanding. This firm is expanding this model in an attempt to increase regenerative agriculture. Driven by the knowledge that we can no longer take from the earth without giving back, regenerative agriculture involves farming practices that reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter, rebuilding ecosystems and restoring degraded soil biodiversity.
Christy Dawn has chosen to become a part of the solution by encouraging consumers to become participants in this process and creating new ecosystems in which the fashion industry, farmers and consumers work side by side for environmental change is shown to be an effective way to generate impact at scale. The brand's program known as “The Land Stewardship”, aims to connect customers with the cotton from which the clothing is made and give them the opportunity to support farmers working to transition to regenerative farming practices.
How Does it Work? Customers pay $200 to cover the costs of a farmer in India who is committed to the transition from conventional to regenerative harvesting practices. At the end of the season, customers receive a store credit equal to the value of the cotton that was harvested, which generally ends up being about the initial $200. The brand does not see this as a "donation" but as an "investment in the process". This support is crucial for farmers who would otherwise not be able to take the risk of transitioning their practices on their own.
In addition to avoiding the use of chemicals, regenerative agriculture actively replenishes and strengthens the soil, plants and the general surrounding area. Quite the opposite of a 'conventional' farm that uses hundreds of acres of land for a single crop and conventional farming methods such as pesticides and deep tillage, its only goal is to make a positive impact. To revive the land, in this case, through the process of growing fibers, primarily, but not limited to cotton, and making clothing. Christy Dawn’s organic cotton is also GOTS certified. Other brands have begun to recognize that it is not enough to commit to buying more sustainable fibers, they must also be part of their production. Companies such as Kering, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia have helped fund farmers transitioning to more sustainable farming practices by sharing some of the upfront costs with farmers, signing long-term purchase contracts, helping with research or other technical needs, and providing grants aimed at driving large-scale transitions.