Episode 42 - From Field to Fashion: Sustainable Leather in the UK with Alice Robinson and Sara Grady

🎙 Where Does It Come From? Podcast Episode 42:

From Field to Fashion: Sustainable Leather in the UK 🐄🌱

In this episode, host Jo Salter, founder of ethical clothing brand Where Does It Come From? delves into the fascinating world of leather with special guests Sara Grady and Alice Robinson, co-founders of British Pasture Leather.

Leather is often a controversial material, but can it be produced in a way that supports a sustainable and regenerative future? Sara and Alice share their insights on how regenerative agriculture can build connections and traceability into the leather industry —creating a system that benefits people, animals, and the planet.

Tune in to explore: ✅ The environmental impact of leather production ✅ How regenerative farming can be part of the solution ✅ The connection between environment, farming, and fashion ✅ The journey of British Pasture Leather in reshaping the industry

🎧 Listen now and discover how leather can have a positive story to tell!

🚀 Exciting News! The Where Does It Come From? Podcast has been named one of Feedspot’s Top 50 UK Sustainability Podcasts! 🌍💚 Huge thanks to our listeners and supporters.

Sara and Alice co-founded British Pasture Leather in 2020, creating 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, British Pasture Leather is linking leather with exemplary agriculture and forging new connections between farming, food and material culture. In 2023, Grady + Robinson were named sustainability thought leaders by the Vogue Business 100 Innovators List and won the Ryan Young Climate+ Award from the Textile Exchange.

Biographies

Sara Grady is a co-founder of British Pasture Leather. Her work focuses on creating food and fibre systems that are beneficial to people, animals, land, and nature. As Vice President of Programs for agricultural non-profit Glynwood (www.glynwood.org) in New York’s Hudson Valley, she directed numerous initiatives supporting regional farming and food culture. She has also worked with various food and farming enterprises to provide strategic planning, research, grant writing, program design and creative direction. Previously, she was a multimedia producer. She is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program; a fellow in the Royal Society of Arts, Commerce, and Manufacture; and she was a founding Board member of the New York Cider Association.

Alice V Robinson is a cofounder of British Pasture Leather and the author of Field, Fork, Fashion, a book that chronicles the making of her 2019 design collection Bullock 374. Her work explores the relationship between food and fashion by connecting farming to product design while revealing the story behind leather material. Alice graduated from the RCA in 2018, her work has since 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.

Jo Salter is driven by a passion for social justice and environmental causes. In 2013, she founded Where Does It Come From?, an award-winning social enterprise renowned for its transparent approach to clothing production, allowing customers to trace their garments back to the farm. Jo is also a director of Khadi London CIC a regenerative textiles knowledge hub, a regular speaker/writer and host of the Where Does It Come From? podcast. She was selected as a DEFRA Year of Global Change ambassador, a Pioneers Post/NatWest WISE 100, and a top 50 Sustainable Fashion Influencer in 2022. In 2023 shortli