Evaluating New York raw fiber-to-retail

Abstract

Inspired by the slow fashion movement, this is an exploratory case study focused on New York’s raw fiber-to-retail value chain for local clothing and textiles. New York has over 470 diverse sheep, alpaca, goat farms, fiber processing mills for product development, and fiber festivals for retail. A survey with farmers presents their motives for establishing a fiber farm business, diverse fibers available, fiber products, income, and their multiple retail venues. Interviews were conducted with farmers, fiber mill owners, and artisan designers. Primary research objectives included: (1) determining how fiber farms, mills, artisans, fiber festivals, and fiber agro-tourism intersect to sustain the current fiber community; (2) evaluating the major challenges the fiber community faces; (3) determining if stakeholders of the fiber community have benefited from any policies; and (4) understanding future goals New York raw fiber-to-fashion stakeholders have to sustain the local fiber community. Interviews reveal several leadership initiatives developed by fiber farmers to address challenges of finding a market, limited income, and fiber mill closures. This study uses the five key dimensions of slow fashion as a framework to evaluate New York raw fiber-to-retail.