From one of the Vogue Business 100 Innovators List - 2023

'[T]his wonderful project and book, executed with great charm and creativity, is an important message.' Anya Hindmarch

In this personal investigation into ethical and traceable leather, fashion designer Alice Robinson begins a ground-breaking journey into the origin story of leather and its connection to food and farming.

As a fashion student, Alice started to question the material she worked with. Leather is universally acknowledged as a luxury material, from which desirable bags, shoes and clothing are made. But how much do we know about where it comes from?

Alice's questions led back to her childhood home in rural Shropshire, where she decided to buy Bullock 374 and follow its journey from a local farm to the abattoir, then to the butchery and finally to the tannery. The journey culminates with Alice's own design practice as she creates a collection based on this single hide.

In doing so, Alice would begin to see the bigger picture - and connect farm, food and fashion for the first time to understand the true meaning of provenance, value and beauty.

About the Author

Alice V Robinson's work explores the relationship between food and fashion by connecting farming to the design of products and revealing the story behind leather. Alice trained as an accessory designer and is an Alumna of the Royal College of Art. Her work has been shown at the London Design Festival, Victoria and Albert Museum and MAD, Brussels; her collection '11458' was acquired by the V&A in 2020.

Alice co-founded Grady + Robinson in 2020 with collaborator Sara Grady to create British Pasture Leather, the first supply of leather made from animals raised on regenerative farms in the UK. Inspired by a belief that regenerative agricultural practices are a crucial solution in renewing soils, stewarding land and reforming food and fashion systems, Grady + Robinson are linking leather with exemplary agriculture and forging new connections between farming, food and material culture. Grady + Robinson were named Sustainability Thought Leaders for the Vogue Business 100 Innovators List - 2023.

Reviews

'The idea that fashion is grown and comes from a farm always surprises people as we are so disconnected from where the things we wear come from. So, this wonderful project and book, executed with great charm and creativity, is an important message.'

Anya Hindmarch

'Alice has conjured a fire inside my belly with her book. I'm pulling out and questioning every garment in my wardrobe, asking myself why it's not made from natural fibres. Her words, her methods and her ideology all have meaning and spirit threaded through them so deeply you can't stop yourself being drawn into her world. The fashion industry better watch out, they have a hurricane coming their way.'

Zoe Colville, farmer and author of The Chief Shepherdess

'Alice's dedication to her art takes her to realms where few artists would go; seeing an animal through its life, building relationships with it, before butchering it and turning each part into something of extraordinary value. At times grotesque, we're nevertheless taken on a journey where it transcends to a thing of pure beauty. We all need to look through her eyes in order to understand what it takes to find a respectable, renewable and sustainable future. '

Gizzi Erskine, chef, food writer and author of Restore

'Sometimes the best innovation is about looking back to move forward. Alice's work epitomises this concept: the way that she unravels past processes in order to understand how things were made before industrialisation is truly an exploration of what fashion could become, just as much as what fashion was. Fashion should not anymore be just about products, we have too many products and we have lost sight as to how they are made and by whom. Fashion should be about its processes just as much. We should be able to choose what we wear not just because of what it looks like, but because of what it went through. We should choose to wear things of minimum environmental impact and maximum storytelling potential. Fashion should be an exploration of our soil, nature, instincts and capabilities. Alice's work is incredibly original because it takes into account all of the above, from both a creative design and a philosophical perspective.'

Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution and author of Loved Clothes Last

'I consider it an absolute privilege to have first met Alice Robinson a few weeks after she caused a storm feeding the fashion world her sheep. Meeting Malcolm the farmer was the catalyst that such a genuine and driven person needed to connect farming and fashion in a way that can make both industries proud. I'm lucky to count some of the country's most innovative chefs and farmers as friends. I can honestly say Alice will make the most impact with this illustrious bunch. Rebooting the UK leather supply chain is actually a near-impossible task. But by the last page you will, like me, think she just might do it.'

Matt Chatfield, farmer and founder of The Cornwall Project

Book Information
ISBN 9781645021193
Author Alice V Robinson
Format Hardback
Page Count 160
Imprint Chelsea Green Publishing Co
Publisher Chelsea Green Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 567g
Dimensions(mm) 247mm * 178mm * 26mm