An interview with Alice Robinson & Sara Grady, Co-Founders. British Pasture Leather

Alice Robinson

I grew up in Shropshire close to where my father’s family is from. I lived there until I left to go to University in London – to train as a Pattern Cutter for my Foundation degree and then went to Edinburgh University to study Womenswear. As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to make things and hoped I would pursue this passion in my education. 

My final studies took place at the Royal College of Art where my focus was accessory design. I’d found it quite crushing that the moment you showed your collection, the first question was always –  ok what’s next? Because everything I had just made was about lasting a long time! I wanted to create products that had durability built into them, both emotionally and materially. 

This was when I was introduced to leather. At that time it was the material of choice to create accessories with and was not surrounded by much of the debate it attracts today. Leather  became an exciting material for me to work with because of its reputation as a durable and luxurious material, but also because of all of the stories it could hold within it. 

What inspired me?

 I have a huge love of the countryside! My late father was a farm vet so being amongst a farming community was a large part of our lives.When I looked at leather, I really wanted to understand the material better. What animal has this come from? Why are these marks there on the surface and what systems or practices were behind its creation?? The material seemed to have been plucked from one world and landed anonymously on my desk in London. But the answers were not easily available so it became inspiring to me – something to really learn more about.  And at the same time, the conversations we had amongst our student cohort around leather and its connections to agriculture and sustainability were developing. 

I started looking at leather from a point of enquiry and wanted to explore this further and examine the existing narratives. As a material that is defined as a by-product of the meat industry, leather has become disconnected  – perhaps because it has often been treated as worthless. I went back to the farming community that I had grown up in. To understand the material and its connection to an animal’s life, the rearing of that animal for food and its landscape.

I bought a sheep from a local farmer and decided to create a collection by working only with the fibres (wool and leather) from that sheep. I served the meat of the sheep at the showcase of  Collection 11458, sparking conversations about why we feel so uncomfortable confronting the inescapable truth that leather, and therefore fashion, originates in our food systems.. 

By this point I had graduated. I followed on to create a collection called Bullock 374. This work involved spending a year learning from a local nature friendly farmer and gaining insight on the many stories that are hidden within leather goods. Creating the collection was an opportunity to learn and shift from commentary, to research and into action. The collection was subsequently shown at the V&A museum’s exhibit FOOD: Bigger than the Plate and I have since written about that journey in my new book Field, Fork, Fashion: Bullock 374 and a designer’s journey to find a future for leather

From the feedback I received, an opportunity became apparent to look at creating leather with a clear and visible link  to agriculture. At this point I was introduced to Sara Grady, my British Pasture co-founder. From the farming community side and the design side – we were both looking at the hidden provenance of leather.

Sara Grady

I’m originally from New York City – so I’m very much a city kid!

My career background covers diverse areas. As a young person, I was involved n art, theatre, dance and music. I studied film production and worked in media production as a producer on films, TV, music videos and commercials and then moved to digital media. I have always approached my work with a sense of curiosity, and that led me to work in documentary style and educational content.

I loved the production process, but eventually I reached a crossroads: I didn’t want to just comment on things that had already happened. I needed to find a way to participate in things that interested and concerned me.  I actually reached a point where I was producing a TV show and I didn’t even own a television!  I decided I wanted to do something that was closer to nature and would give me agency in responding to societal and planetary crises. Something that was not only inspiring but would  give me a lifetime of learning. 

I identified food as the sector where all those interests and concerns overlapped. I found a way to start working on food systems issues. At that time it was not as developed a sector as it is now. I am envious of young people who are lucky to have the opportunity for a degree in sustainable food systems! 

I built a relationship with an organisation in the Hudson Valley region. Initially by volunteering as a filmmaker and making media for their fundraising purposes. In doing that, I became an expert on their programmes which were under development at the time. I became a Programme Director and then the VP of Programmes for Glynwood Centre of Regional Food and Farming.  I spent several years in a leadership position across a range of food and agriculture issue led programmes. 

What inspired me?

For me personally it was a tremendous time to learn and put all my learned creative skills into service for the things that I personally cared about. It was where I learned about agriculture and food production and that is where my interest in animal hides began.

I had been a vegetarian from the age of 13 but when I got involved in food system topics, I began spending more time looking at sustainable, high quality farming. I developed a much more accurate picture about the realities of  animals raised for food. Getting involved with the small independent, sustainable  farmers in the Hudson Valley – a similar landscape to the UK – for grazing animals and producing high quality meat, gave me a whole new understanding.  I began to learn it is possible to raise animals in a way that honours their welfare. 

In fact those grazing animals are incredibly important to the farm ecosystems and to the landscape. Holistically and thoughtfully managed livestock systems actually bring incredible benefits to people, farm ecosystems and biodiversity.

I went from being vegetarian to becoming an omnivore with a strong belief in using all parts of the animal – and this wonderful British term,“nose to tail eating”. I felt that meaningfully using the whole animal demonstrates respect for its life. 

At the same time, I was creating programmes to instil similar values amongst professional chefs. One of the ways we did this included demonstrations of humane animal slaughter. It was incredibly important to us to do this honestly and deliver those experiences. 

In addition, few farmers actually knew what happened to the hides of the animals.  I started investigating and realised through talking to the abattoirs, that the hides get lost – becoming invisible in a global system of trading. And yet there was a tannery just an hour away, so I began delivering small experimental batches of hides to the tannery, just to explore the possibility of making leather that was connected to local farms.

(Alice left & Sara right)