Engaged Graduate Student Grants
Community-Engaged New York Fibers: A Path Toward Farm-to-Fashion
Supporting farm-to-fashion entrepreneurship and community-based economic development by compiling a New York Fiber Sourcebook, where fashion and textile designers can learn about available fibers.
Upstate New York is home to more than 260 sheep, alpaca and goat farms — emblems of the state’s legacy in wool growing and fiber processing — but these farmers do not have an easy way to reach fiber artisan and designer target markets. To address this issue, Helen Trejo is collaborating with a team from Parsons the New School of Design to develop a New York Fiber Sourcebook, where designers can learn about available fibers. Trejo is also assessing raw wool and alpaca fleeces from local farms as part of an apprenticeship program for scaled-up production. Aligned with the fashion industry’s Made in New York movement, Trejo’s research supports local farm-to-fashion entrepreneurship and community-based economic development.
Topics: Arts, Communication, Media and Design; Economic Vitality and Entrepreneurship; Food and Agriculture
The Team
- Graduate student: Helen Trejo, fiber science and apparel design
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Special committee chair:
Tasha Lewis, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
College of Human Ecology
- Community partner: Parsons the New School of Design
- Community partner: Ironwood Hill Sheep Farm
- Community partner: Blind Buck Angora Goats
- Community partner: Nistock Cotswold Sheep Farm
- Community partner: Orchard View Farm
- Community partner: Laughing Goat Fiber Farm
- Community partner: Nyala Farm Alpacas
- Community partner: St. Mary’s On-the-Hill Cashmere
- Community partner: Hidden Alpaca Acres Farm
- Community partner: Guard Farm
In the News
SUMMER 2018
Student Spotlight: Helen Trejo
– Cornell University Graduate School website