Style Points is a weekly column that explores the intersection of fashion and the wider world.
If you are even remotely foodie-adjacent you will probably know where your dinner came from. Fashion, which doesn’t have a real equivalent to “free-range”, is a bit more risky. It is possible that you don’t know much about the origin story behind your new garment beyond the location on a tag.
Christy Baskauskas faced the same dilemma when she started her line Christy Dawn. Because they were relatively affordable and green, she was primarily using deadstock fabrics. However, their provenance and chemical content were more difficult to track. Mairin Wilson, head of regenerative practices at the brand, said that “Deadstock” is an amazing product. It’s a great solution to the problem of fashion industry waste. [of]All these toxic practices. But it’s not a solution.
Baskauskas has a small garden and chickens but is not a farmer. After doing some digging, Baskauskas decided that she would focus her efforts on regenerative farming. This is a method that seeks to enrich the soil rather than strip it of nutrients. She certainly isn’t the only fashion brand embracing regenerative techniques—so are outdoor staples The North Face and Patagonia and luxury giant Kering—but she’s been one of the most vocal on the subject. Wilson states, “Healing soil will heal the Earth.” How can we use it to solve climate change, all of the environmental problems we face, and help farmers, as well as our consumers, learn more about the hidden world beneath each piece of clothing that we make?
Their solution was to start their own farming venture. Oshadi Collective found a site for the company in India and started operating under a land-stewardship model. The land supports more then a dozen plants, including cotton. These plants can be used as cover crops, traps, pollinators or cover crops. Both women quickly acknowledge that this isn’t a novel or technologically advanced concept. It is based on traditional Indigenous practices. One farmer has a long-standing family tradition of burying rice in the soil under the oldest tree on the farm, and then making tea from it. He distributes the tea among the other crops. Wilson states, “From an old perspective, that’s an amazing tale.” But when you think about it scientifically, it is amazing. [also]It makes perfect sense because the oldest tree on a farm will have the most nutrients. Because it’s been there so long, it’s going to have an abundant microbiome beneath it. It’s creating an amazing fertilizer by absorbing the nutrients that rice has absorbed without using any chemicals.
She adds that “creating systems for trust” is an important part of the process. “Understanding something is the only way you can have an ethical relationship to it. Christy and me, two women sitting in downtown Los Angeles don’t know what’s going on in India. So, we won’t tell the farmers what to do,” but we will provide some ground rules such as keeping the farm chemical-free, full diversified crops, and feeding drip irrigation. Their “Farm to Closet”, first collection, debuted in May.
Baskauskas defines regeneration “starting somewhere, trying to learn each step of the journey and continuing to improve each time.” It is possible to have some hiccups, but that doesn’t mean they are inevitable in mass production. The label embraces them as happy accidents. Block-printed collections were delayed due to the monsoon in the region. The sun was not as strong to dry the fabric or cure the dyes. The label is rolling with it, making pieces available for pre-order. Each dress represents 42 pounds sequestered carbon.
For those who really want to go all-in, the brand offers a new option: land stewardship. $200 covers 3485 sq. feet of land. It also includes line items such as farmers’ salaries, seeds for other crop, compost, and worms. The amount of yield they produce will determine how much gift card they receive. This gift card can be used for a dress made with the cotton. It’s a chic alternative to CSA boxes.
Baskauskas learned by doing and wants to ensure that the knowledge she has gained along the way remains open-source so others in fashion can also benefit from it. She says, “We want to make a roadmap for everyone as we try everything and see how it works.” “We are jotting it all down and creating this map for our customers as well as for any other brands who want to learn more.” For her, Sustainable“The goal is not the word itself. You are just supporting something. If you really look at the work, it feels like: Is sustainability something I really want?Two small children are my responsibility. I don’t really want to stay where we are in the world right now. It is time to make it better. Can we make clothes to do this? Yes, we can—because we’re doing it.”
Source: elle
