Field, Fork, Fashion by Alice V Robinson
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 which 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 practice as she creates a collection based on this single hide.
In doing so, Alice would begin to see the bigger picture – and connect farm, food and fashion for the first time to understand the true meaning of provenance, value and beauty.
Alice V Robinson trained as an accessory designer and is an Alumna of the Royal College of Art. Bullock 374 was featured in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s ‘Food on a Plate’. Her work has also been shown at the London Design Festival and MAD, Brussels; her collection ‘11458’ was acquired by the V&A in 2020.
Alice co-founded Grady + Robinson in 2020 with collaborator Sara Grady, to create British Pasture Leather, the first supply of leather made from the hides of animals raised on regenerative farms in the UK.
