Bristol Cloth 1st Edition
BRISTOL CLOTH 1ST EDITION
Bristol Cloth is the UK' s pioneer re-localised soil-to-soil textile production system, working with local regenerative fibre farmers, organic natural heritage plant dyes and a cottage industry of artisan traditional mills, to produce fabric and accessories which are of the earth and safe to give back to the earth at the end of their useful life cycle, as nutrients instead of pollutants.
The Bristol Cloth 1st Edition is dyed with heritage British natural dyes - Madder root and Weld flower to give a reddish orange colour.
Our textiles are made without the use of any harmful synthetic chemicals at any stage throughout the farming, processing and manufacture. The textile industry is the 2nd biggest polluter in the World after agrochemical farming for food, and this is mainly due to the high toxicity of chemicals used for dyeing and finishing cloth. We have removed all the chemical substances such as detergents, spinning oils, dyes and finishers and replaced them with organic natural castile soap, organic natural dyes extracted from plants and nothing else.
We work with farms who use the highest standards of animal welfare to ensure happy animals as well as healthy land and soil.
Regenerative farming re-builds soil fertility, creates plant species diversity, sequesters maximum carbon from the air back into the soil and ensures the highest standards of animal welfare, which also tends to produce a much higher quality of wool.
Everyone involved in these small independent businesses is paid well and treated fairly. Farmers receive a much higher income for their fleece than the current industry standard, providing a reliable and financially sustainable profit margin.
The entire fibre farming, processing and manufacture in set within British shores, reducing the use of fossil fuels for transportation and ensuring that our system is transparent and fully traceable.
COMPOSITION + PROVENANCE
Regeneratively farmed wool from Fernhill Farm in the Mendips AONB, just 15 miles from Bristol, offers the highest standards of animal welfare along with soil rebuilding techniques and maximised carbon sequestration.
Organic madder root and weld flower are used by Botanical Inks non-toxic natural dye house, to apply traditional, non-toxic, natural plant colour to the fibre, which compliments the un-dyed natural fleece colours of light and dark grey, used to create this herringbone weave design created by designer, Wendy Kotenko.
Woven at the Bristol Weaving Mill, our local independent producer of fine artisan woven fabrics.
The Bristol Cloth 1st Edition was crowdfunded in 2018 by 450 people who now form our original Bristol Cloth community and each have a piece of the cloth or a scarf.