Connecting Farms, Designers, and Markets: A Model for a Sustainable Textile Future

The textile industry is at a turning point. Microplastics pollute our waterways, mass textile production strains ecosystems, and consumers are increasingly distanced from the origins of the materials they use every day.

Amid these challenges, new models are emerging to reconnect people with the land and labor behind their textiles. These systems are grounded in real people—farmers, designers, and makers—and the ecosystems that sustain them. By rethinking how fibers are grown, processed, and used, innovators are creating pathways to a more equitable and regenerative textile future.

One of these innovators is Laura Sansone, whose work with New York Textile Lab is helping to rebuild these connections. By fostering relationships across the supply chain, her efforts are creating a new value chain that embodies true care and value in every step—from soil to finished product.

NY Textile Lab, a Fibershed partner, is a design and consulting company founded on the principles of regionalism and sustainability. The Lab creates textiles that embody deep value through ethical and transparent sourcing practices. By fostering relationships between small-scale farms and independent designers, the Lab is helping to grow a more diverse and equitable textile supply ecosystem. “Our goal is to empower designers to make better decisions about their social and environmental investments,” says founder Laura Sansone. “We believe textile production should grow out of regenerative systems that emerge from collective thinking, not extraction and scarcity.”