Re-designing fashion education

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Working with young designers and creators to inspire a different way of doing, is one of our key goals here at the farm - we want to support the change makers of the future and provide that much needed link between fashion education and the farming systems where fibres are produced.

Our workshop; ‘Fashion as a force for nature’ connects students and fashion stakeholders to the beginning of the fashion supply chain and helps them forge a deeper connection between nature and their design or craft practice. You cannot do that sat at a desk in a classroom. By being on farm, students are instantly more engaged and the learning is far richer when they can see the steps through the process from raw material to finished garment, right before their eyes.
 

The time on the farm involves a farm walk, where participants can meet our sheep and cattle and learn about how we care for them in an organic farming system. We talk about our work with nature recovery and landscape regeneration, and connect this to the fibres and dyes we produce on the farm. We have two different sheep breeds so it’s a unique opportunity to see how varied British wool is. We can explain the journey of the wool from the sheep’s back, through the mill and students can see our yarns, and the garments Katie creates using the fibre. James explains oak bark tanning in his experimental tannery space and we encourage rich conversation around the sustainability of these natural fibres. Depending on the time of year, students can harvest dye plants to take back with them and experiment with natural dyeing on skeins of my Portland yarn.

 

It’s an opportunity for students to get inquisitive about where their clothes come from – what are the fibres fabrics are made from, how are dyes are created, and to see real life examples of doing things differently. They will be able to ask lots of questions and hopefully leave feeling inspired on how their own textile practice could become a positive force for nature.

 

The best time of year for farm visits would be late May to October. The workshop is around 3 hours. We can tailor the content to all levels of students and professional designers, so please do get in touch if you are interested in rooting your creative textiles practice in nature. We have funding to deliver this programme to under 18s, all you need to arrange is transport to get here and bring a packed lunch.