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The sustainable revolution sweeping through fashion isn’t just about fair trade and good materials. There are many parts when it comes to making a sustainable product and the first seeds of a good fashion design begins on the farm. More often than not, a cotton farm.
“We envision ourselves as land stewards first and clothing makers second.” Christy Dawn, a vintage-inspired sustainable brand, has spent the last two years collaborating with cotton farmers and artisans in India to practice sustainable and regenerative farming. It’s a style of farming that isn’t based on simply growing a crop like cotton for profit. It’s about growing a crop in a way that can increase biodiversity and water quality while capturing carbon and even nourishing the soil. Much like sustainable fashion, regenerative farming is about making a positive environmental impact. Now, customers have the options of purchasing Christy Dawn dresses that are made with deadstock, organic cotton or regenerative cotton to decide the impact that their clothing purchase will make.
To help us understand what regenerative farming is and how it makes fashion better, we reached out to the team behind Christy Dawn’s dresses that are sparking the next sustainable solution- ‘farm to closet’.
How has Christy Dawn evolved and changed since the brand first began?
When we started Christy Dawn, we just wanted to make beauty. We used deadstock because it was better for the Earth (and the most affordable). As we grew, we realized: Sustainability is not enough. We can’t just sustain, so we asked ourselves: How can we honor Mother Earth as we’ve promised to do?
How did you begin your regenerative farming initiative?
For the last two years, Christy Dawn has been pouring our love and resources into our Farm-to-Closet initiative- a radical experiment in reciprocal relationships, and a conscious effort to deepen our intimacy with soil, farmer, and ultimately ourselves. In a giant leap of faith, Christy Dawn leased 24 acres of depleted land in Erode, India. Working directly with the farmers and artisans at Oshadi Collective, we’ve been working to replenish the soil through ancient practices of regeneration and traditional wisdom.
Why was it important to implement it into the foundation of your brand?
We envision ourselves as land stewards first and clothing makers second. Our goal is to only make pieces that come from land we steward.
What indigenous agricultural practices do you follow?
We use native seeds and holistic, indigenous farming practices, you can read more about our regenerative farming practices here:
How does it increase biodiversity?
Nature is self-healing — regenerative farming fosters the plants and soil’s innate ability to build the health and resilience of their ecosystem. By using native seeds and holistic, indigenous farming practices, farmers can revitalize soil and draw down carbon. Regenerative farming not only heals the land’s immediate ecosystem but helps heal Mother Earth from climate change.
By replenishing once barren land and bringing back biodiversity to the land we drew down more than 66 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.
How can customers be a part of the farm-to-Closet movement?
When you shop Farm-to-Closet, you are actively joining the Regenerative Revolution. Each purchase helps replenish even more soil, sequester even more carbon. Plus, you’re wearing a garment with reciprocity stitched into every seam.