Textile and Apparel Industries

Farm to Fashion Camp: Educating Students on Animal Fiber Production for the Fashion Supply Chain

---

Abstract

The overarching purpose of this project was to stimulate interest in youth ages 13-18 in careers in regional and circular textile economies, with the long-term goal of increasing awareness of the fiber, textile, and clothing supply chain and careers in sustainable textile production. To accomplish this, we started the Farm to Fashion Camp, a multi-day summer program for youth in grades 8th-12th designed to introduce them to animal fiber production for the fashion supply chain. To evaluate the success of the program and whether campers increased their knowledge regarding sustainable aspects of wool fiber, a pre- and post-test was administered to all 19 campers. Between the pre- and post-test, the number of correct responses improved by 21% on average. Additionally, confidence levels regarding their knowledge increased. On the post-test, campers chose the “I don’t know” response 23% less often on average compared to the pre-test. 

Keywords: wool, textile, supply chain, fiber, circular economy, sustainable, summer program, farm to fashion, secondary education, primary education

How to Cite:

Doty, K., LeHew, M. L., Hiller, K. Y. & Crane, A., (2022) “Farm to Fashion Camp: Educating Students on Animal Fiber Production for the Fashion Supply Chain”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15920