Future Fashion Landscapes: Fostering biodiversity through collaborations between farmers, designers, and processors of native and rare breed wool

Fashion and agriculture are among the industries with the highest climate footprint - through over-consumption of finite resources, aggregated CO2 emissions, widespread ecosystem pollution and resulting extensive biodiversity loss. There is enormous potential for impact through improved practice and a major paradigm shift in both

sectors. This design-led R&D partnership between fashion researchers from UAL's Centre for Sustainable Fashion and the South East England (SEE) and South West England (SWE) Fibresheds foregrounds the potential of fostering diverse, healthy ecosystems and increased biodiversity alongside supporting sustainable rural economies and

bio-regional textiles networks. The partnership builds on the regional links created during the research team's previous project 'Beyond Net Zero Goals: Regenerative fashion design for micro-circular rural ecosystems' funded in the DEP pilot scheme (2021-22). Within the overarching biodiversity theme, this project focuses on the

fibre production and biodiversity enhancement potential of farms adopting regenerative principles, while operating landscape-specific grazing and restoration programmes with native and rare breed sheep. Sustaining thriving populations of native breeds is among the key biodiversity indicators of the UK Government Biodiversity Strategy for

England (Indicator 12a: Animal genetic resources, DEFRA 2023 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/england-biodiversity*indicators)). The vision of the SEE and SWE affiliates of the international Fibershed movement  is to provide viable solutions for the shift from long, opaque fashion and textiles supply chains, towards short, transparent

bio-regional fibre and fashion supply networks with potential for scaling through replication. The organisations' current priority, based on extensive stakeholder consultation during 2020-22, is to facilitate better understanding between farmers and designers to improve availability and uptake of high-quality local fibre. The focus is on wool

which, unlike plant fibres, is still produced in the UK in abundance yet its potential for application in apparel production is insufficiently understood. As a result, this renewable fibre source is undervalued, underutilised and often discarded. This project will enhance visibility and comprehension of UK-sourced native and rare breed wool, thus

opening up new opportunities for valuable income streams, with benefits for rural economies plus landscape conservation and biodiversity enhancement. The partnership will test methods of collaboration and design research that aim to:

Advance the understanding of properties and biodiversity benefits of bio-regional native and rare breed wool production in the SEE and SWE  and beyond, through the pilot implementation of SEE & SWE Fibresheds' new Farming Fashion Toolkit.

Develop experimental design prototypes that embody the experience of 'wearing the landscape', providing a tangible proofof-concept that can facilitate access to further R&D and funding for farmers and designers. Facilitate future innovation and collaboration opportunities for farmers, designers, and processors of fibre and textiles through

improved mutual understanding of requirements and production cycles when working with local landscapes, animals and natural rhythms. The project will support the SEE and SWE Fibresheds' mission by introducing skills in design, making and fashion design entrepreneurship, building capacity for extensive experimentation to

test innovative possibilities for regenerative fashion practice within rural ecosystems and urban design centres. LCF's recent move to the East Bank Campus offers exceptional opportunities for public engagement and mobilising the thriving East London design community for this purpose.