BUSINESS NAME:
Fashion With Care.

BUSINESS STAGE:
Early development.

DESCRIPTION OF YOUR BUSINESS:
With 'Fashion With Care' I propose a new approach to design in the fashion industry. With new regulations coming into force in the European Union and the importance of acting against climate change, the solution for me lies in putting the provenance of materials and which materials we use at the centre of design and not the other way around.

I propose something I call "Farm-to-Sewing", inspired by the Farm-to-Fork movement. This new fashion system supports brands to work with regenerative agriculture farmers in their area and use the materials available to them

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR BUSINESS

Fashion With Care proposes a new approach to design in the fashion industry.

With new regulations coming into force in the European Union and the importance of acting against climate change, the solution for me lies in putting the provenance of materials and which materials we use at the centre of design and not the other way around.

I propose something I call "Farm-to-Sewing", inspired by the "Farm-to-Fork" movement. This new fashion system supports brands to work with regenerative agriculture farmers in their area and use the materials available to them.

I have been studying and working with systems change for a long time, as a previous social-impact entrepreneur and supporting other social entrepreneurs. When I ask myself how fashion can contribute to a more humane world I think that to answer this we need to look at the whole system that fashion has created and systems change can help us with that.

For me, the underlying problem in solving the huge challenges we see in fashion is the lack of connection people have with their clothes. The relationship we have with our clothes is actually quite intimate, as it is what we wrap our bodies in, it affects how we see ourselves and then how we present ourselves to the world.
However, if we look at how fashion is presented today and where the value is placed, it couldn't be further from such an empowering effect.

The way to change fashion is to create solutions that make people feel more connected to their clothes and more responsible for them.
The current fashion system has greatly reduced the emphasis on the craftsmanship behind the clothes, as well as the farmers who produce the materials and where they come from. Putting instead the focus on the image of the models, the image of the clothes, and who we can be when wearing them. This has led to a lack of connection with what we wear.

If we look at the food system as an example, there has been a huge positive shift in the last few decades in terms of the connection people feel with what they eat thanks to the Farm-to-Fork movement. This has allowed people to connect with local produce, to know what products are grown in their region and to develop a greater care for the food and the farmers that produce it.
Creating a connection and curiosity about where, how and with what materials your garments are created is what Farm-to-Sewing proposes.

On the other hand, in the current fashion design process, you decide first on the collection and how you want it to look like. Then you decide what materials you are going to use to achieve that look without necessarily taking into account what is actually available in the area and therefore what materials would make sense to use.
I think this approach leads to a disconnection with nature and a lack of awareness of the resources needed to produce each garment.

If we want to use fashion as a force for good, rather than just trying not to damage the earth, the only possible answer is to work with regenerative agriculture. This type of agriculture not only does not harm the earth, it regenerates the soil.

Putting the materials, farmers and the earth at the centre of our decisions in fashion is what Fashion With Care proposes to change the current broken fashion system.

The most relevant fields for Fashion With Care are the supply-side and the design. I believe design needs to bridge all the way from the regenerative source of the garment to the regenerative effect on the wearer.

The project is still early stage and can’t yet prove business success.

MOTIVATIONS TO APPLY TO THE CHALLENGE:

I deeply resonate with your vision, focused on finding ideas that can change fashion from a systemic point of view. This is also what interests me in my work as a designer and creator of Fashion With Care. I think that putting together different profiles that have this desire is very impact to solve the biggest challenge we have in the fashion industry.

Ever since I started thinking about sustainability in fashion 5 years ago, I have been looking for organizations, people, brands, and initiatives that were challenging the fashion industry to do things differently and use fashion for good to support the much-needed change I believe needs to happen in the fashion industry.
That's why I’m thrilled to be applying to the open call with my initiative Fashion With Care.