Local, Slow and Sustainable Fashion: Wool as a Fabric for Change

Description

This book explores the importance of the agriculturally-based fiber and textile industry, and how local, small-scale operations and markets, coupled with a connection to soil health, can lead the way to new transformative changes. It draws on a four-year research project on Norwegian wool, as well as similar studies in Poland and Portugal. It also explores the role of women and the Indigenous perspective: in Europe this will constitute Sami and Inuit, in Northern America the Inuit and First Nations in Canada, along with Native Americans. Born out of academic interest in the slow food movement, the importance of local raw materials has been put under the spotlight in recent years. Meanwhile, the havoc wreaked by the fast fashion industry has been drawing attention to the need for a new, sustainable approach to clothing and textile manufacture. This edited collection is unique in its scope, taking the conversation beyond traditional debates around fast fashion and agriculture, and examining how textile industry is rooted in the land, and within society and community. Featuring a diverse range of authors, the book will be valuable reading for academics interested in sustainable management, the study of consumption, the study of Indigenous perspectives, and the study of agricultural practices.  Preface Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures 1 KRUSing into the Future: Restoring a Local Value Chain Through Cooperation A Brief History of Wool Labelling Textile History and Product Development Other ‘Black Sheep’ in the Wool Industry Old Norse Sheep—The ‘Wildest’ Wool New Warps and Wefts Weave a Future Updating Breed Standards for Wool Projections and Failure Serendipitous Cooperation Local Clothing References 2 The Fate of Natural Fibres in Environmental Evaluations: A Question of Volume The Focus on Fibres Evaluations and Comparisons Plastic as a Blessing Microplastics The Variation in Materials Natural Material’s Significance for Biological and Cultural Diversity The Use Phase Who Has the Credibility to Talk About Fibres? A Question of Volume or Quality References 3 Upping the WOOLUME: Waste Prevention Based on Optimal Use of Materials The Proud History of Polish Wool WOOLUME—The Best Use of Raw Materials Breeds Vary as Product-Focus Differ Waste Prevention in a New Light Making Better Use of Wool Labelling as a Strategy Worthy Wool References 4 Slow and Indigenous Approaches to Textiles Arts Our World Today Textile Traditions Community Taking Centre Stage Considerations of Material in Relation to Culture Cultural Sustainability: Looking to the Sámi Cultural Pride and Identity in Relation to Textile Traditions Connecting Beyond the Surface Intangible Cultural Heritage References 5 Setting a New Stage: Small Scale as a Way Forward A Place to Call Home A Circle of Collaboration The Nordic Region Communities for Change References 6 Rethinking the (Wool) Economy Environmental Problems: A Biophysical Economy Perspective Wool Inputs and Outputs Problematic Social Aspects of the Current Globalised Economy The Inadequacy of Political Responses A Push for New Innovations and Subsidies The Need for a Deep Economic Transformation The Integral Part of Place in Creating an Alternative System Localising Economies–Experiences from Alternative Food Networks Living Economies in Living Landscapes Creating Sustainable Change Through Collaborative Efforts Conclusions References 7 A Fashion Future: Fibre Diet Is Second-Hand Actually Replacing New Purchases? The New Business Lynchpins The Fibre Diet Starting Out with a Budget Wardrobe Studies Methods Missing Pieces and Further Work References Glossary Index