INDUSTRY INSIGHT: The Nature of Fashion: Reconnecting Our Wardrobes to the World we Interview Carry Somers

BLOG

4 Dec

Written By Debbie Mckeegan

The challenges facing fashion today—overconsumption, pollution, a broken recycling system, and the myth of true circularity—are not isolated technical problems.

“To build a truly sustainable future for fashion, we must do more than innovate; we must remember. We must look back to the botanical origins of our clothing to understand how to move forward..”
***Carry Somers -*** ***Nature of Fashion***

Is it possible to tell the story of humanity through a single thread?

This question is more than a poetic musing; it’s a critical inquiry into our past, present, and future. For too long, the fashion industry has operated in a state of profound disconnection from the natural world. We fill our wardrobes with garments, yet we remain psychologically alienated from what we wear, blind to the ecosystems and histories woven into every fibre.

The challenges facing fashion today—overconsumption, pollution, a broken recycling system, and the myth of true circularity—are not isolated technical problems. They are symptoms of a deeper issue: a fundamental separation from nature that began thousands of years ago and has now reached a breaking point.

To build a truly sustainable future for fashion, we must do more than innovate; we must remember. We must look back to the botanical origins of our clothing to understand how to move forward.

One voice at the forefront of this conversation is Carry Somers, the author of The Nature of Fashion, a thought-provoking exploration of reconnecting fashion with nature. Her insights were recently shared in an inspiring podcast with Debbie McKeegan, the CEO of Texintel, and Fespa Textile Ambassador - where they discussed the intersection of tradition, innovation, and sustainability in the industry. This dialogue underscores the urgent need to reimagine fashion’s relationship with the natural world, drawing from both historical wisdom and cutting-edge technology to shape a more responsible future.

The Illusion of the "Natural" Fibre

"The conversation around sustainable fashion often simplifies into a battle between "good" natural fibres and "bad" synthetics. While the devastating impact of synthetic microfibres is well-documented—my own scientific research voyage from the Galapagos to Easter Island confirmed their pervasive presence in our oceans—the story of natural fibres is far more complex" explained Carry Somers.

A shocking truth is that many so-called natural fibres are no longer truly natural by the time they reach our closets. They undergo intensive chemical processing that alters their cellular structure, rendering them unrecognisable to the microorganisms that would otherwise break them down. Recent research at Rudyard Lake, Staffordshire, a site with a textile production history dating back to the Industrial Revolution, revealed that natural fibres like cotton and linen dominate the sediment layers. These fibres, laden with dyes and finishing chemicals, act as vectors, carrying other pollutants into our ecosystems.

This contamination is a direct result of an industrial model that treats nature not as a partner, but as a resource to be extracted and controlled. Our reliance on monoculture crops, like modern white cotton, has decimated biodiversity and erased millennia of agricultural wisdom. This system is not just environmentally destructive; it’s built on a history of exploitation and greed that continues to this day.

Forgetting Our Roots: A History of Disconnection

To understand how we arrived here, we must look beyond the factory floor and into our collective past. The separation of humanity from nature is a long story, but its acceleration during the Enlightenment solidified a worldview that placed humans above the natural world. This philosophical shift had tangible consequences, fuelling colonial expansion and the industrialisation of textile production.

The history of fashion is intertwined with the history of colonialism. The drive for materials like cotton and indigo fuelled exploitation and erased indigenous knowledge systems that had cultivated textiles in harmony with their environments for centuries. We lost not only plant varieties but also the cyclical thinking and reciprocal relationships that defined these cultures.

Today, this disconnection manifests as overconsumption. We buy more and wear less than ever before, treating garments as disposable commodities rather than cherished items with a story and a connection to the earth. This lack of meaning is the true crisis of modern fashion.

Weaving the Future: Blending Ancient Wisdom with Modern Innovation

The path forward is not a simple return to the past, but a thoughtful integration of ancient wisdom with modern innovation. The future of fashion lies in rediscovering and revaluing the materials and methods that have been pushed to the margins.

Across the world, inspiring individuals and communities are already leading the way:

Reviving Lost Colours: In Peru, Yolanda Contreras is working to revive ancient strains of coloured cotton, rebuilding a textile system that is both culturally significant and inherently sustainable, as it removes the need for dyeing.

Rediscovering Agave: In Oaxaca, Mexico, designers and artisans are rediscovering the potential of agave fibres, transforming a plant once seen as a byproduct into a source of regenerative material.

Championing Henequen: The revival of henequen, a type of agave, in the Yucatan peninsula demonstrates how traditional crops can be reintroduced to create sustainable economic opportunities and restore ecological balance.

These examples are not about nostalgia; they are about resilience, creativity, and a fundamentally different way of thinking. They embrace cyclical models of production, where waste from one process becomes a resource for another. They prioritise community well-being and ecological health over endless growth. This is the new definition of innovation.

A Call to Action: It Starts with Seeing Differently

As consumers, we hold the power to accelerate this shift. But it requires more than just buying products labelled "sustainable." The most radical act you can take is to change the way you see.

Before you make your next purchase, pause and ask: What is the nature of this garment? Where did its fibres grow? What landscape and which hands brought it into being? By seeking out the stories behind our clothes, we begin to restore the meaning that has been lost. We transform from passive consumers into active participants in a more beautiful and equitable fashion system.

Understanding the botanical origins of our clothing is not just an intellectual exercise; it is an act of reconnection. It allows us to see our wardrobes not as a collection of disposable trends, but as a tangible link to the soil, the water, and the diverse cultures of our planet.