Field, Fork, Fashion by Alice V Robinson

Field, Fork, Fashion, Bullock 374 and a Designer's Journey to Find a Future for Leather. By Alice V Robinson

Personal note from HERD Founder: When I met Alice in 2023 I quickly realised I had found someone with an equal drive to my own to find answers to questions that weren't easy to find (and not accept no for an answer), and a value set around uncompromising sustainability, ethics and animal welfare. It's not easy being a perfectionist in a imperfect world and so we find places we can use our hard work, natural optimism and vision and we don't stop until we have created the change we want to see. Alice's story is full of wonder, and viscerality and answers to questions you didn't know you wanted to know, and will launch you on a journey of your own into the leather goods in your life. Ruth.

Synopsis - 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 with 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 practices as she creates a collection based on this single hide.

In doing so, Alice would begin to see the bigger picture - and connect to 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 connection 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 Collage of Art. Her work has been shown at the London Design Festival, Victoria and Albert Museum, MAD, Brussels; her collection '11458' was acquired by the V&A in 2020.

About the Book - Published by Chelsea Green, 2023