Made in New York: A Collaborative Model to Encourage Slow Fashion

Abstract

Slow fashion is an emerging movement that encourages local and sustainable fashion design as a community-based approach. There are over 470 sheep, alpaca, and goat fiber farms in New York (NY), as well as fiber processing mills to transform raw fibers into final products. A major issue identified by NY farmers is low income due to difficulties reaching their market. This is a four-part research study that involved (a) the development of the NY Regional Yarn Sourcebook with local yarns sourced from farmers, (b) a survey with NY farmers, (c) an analysis of fibers, and (d) the development of Made in NY scarves based on fiber science data. Using actor–network theory, we aim to develop a collaborative slow fashion model with farmers, fiber scientists, and designers for high-quality product development to support the long-term sustainability of small farms, fiber mills, and local design.

Evaluating New York raw fiber-to-retail

“…A survey was distributed to learn more about New York fiber farms. The survey was developed based on a pilot survey with New York farmers in 2013 (Trejo, 2014). The objectives of the survey were to (1) determine demographics of New York fiber farmers, (2) evaluate their motives for establishing a fiber farm business, (3) determine the fibers available, (4) fiber products, (5) income earned, and (6) multi-channel retailing efforts.…”

“…There are several slow fashion approaches with wool and cashmere at limited edition scales to exemplify sustainable and sensorial products (Clark, 2008). Fiber farmers can add value to raw fibers from sheep, alpaca, and goats by preparing fibers for consumers to purchase, such as roving for hand-spinning, yarns for knitting, crochet, or weaving (Lowry, 2014; Stannard, 2020; Trejo, 2014). Consumers can find these products at fiber-yarn stores, fiber festivals, or online.…”

“…Although there are several practice-based and consumer research studies that evaluate slow fashion, there are no studies that focus on evaluating the complexities of slow fashion from a local production perspective that involves insights from key stakeholders such as farmers, mill owners, and designers. Previous slow fashion fiber farm research has focused on assessing fiber quality (Trejo and Lewis, 2018), product development (Cao et al., 2014; Trejo et al., 2019), and farmers’ broader reach through ecommerce or social media (Stannard, 2020; Trejo and Lewis, 2017). This study uses the five key dimensions of slow fashion as a framework, including equity, authenticity, functionality, localism, and exclusivity.…”

“…New York is the focus of this study because New York City is a major fashion capital of the world (Rantisi, 2004), and there is a strong presence of fiber farms with sheep, alpacas, and goats to support local clothing and textile production (Trejo et al., 2019). The U.S. Bureau of Census (2010) reports that 87% of New York is urban and 12% is rural based on population.…”

“…There are over 470 fiber farms, 12 fiber processing mills, and 9 fiber festivals that make it possible for farmers to add value to their raw fibers by sending them to a mill to become roving for hand-spinning, yarn for knitting/weaving, or final products such as socks to sell directly to consumers. The availability of these farms aligns with the resurgence of small fiber farms in the Northeast, culture of fiber artisanship, and fiber festivals (Lowry, 2014); however, the economic sustainability of these farms is a concern (Trejo, 2014). Major challenges New York farmers face include difficulty finding their target market and low economic profits from selling fiber products.…”