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A chat with
Alice Robinson

Back in November 2024, we visited Alice V Robinson.
We first discovered Alice’s work through her book “Field, Fork and Fashion: Bullock 374 and a Designer’s Journey to Find a Future for Leather” and it was a great a-ha moment as she had already connected what we had began to discover: leather and agriculture, embracing imperfections, the fashion industry’s relationship with sustainability.
She has currently been focusing her time in British Pasteur Leather, a project she co-founded with Sara Grady that wishes to bring high quality traceable leather produced in the UK through regenerative agriculture.

Tell us about British Pasture Leather and why do we need to know where our leather comes from and what processes it undergoes?

British Pasture Leather was born out of a desire to have transparency and connection to the farming communities in which it originated, and value leather as a product of our food system. My business partner, Sara Grady and I, often comment that not all leather is created equally. The leather supply chain is global and complex. We produce leather from the hides of cattle
reared on farms certified by Pasture for Life. Traceability to agriculture provides us with a vital connection, accountability and insight into the impacts of our materials and the food system they originate in. We work closely with partners in the leather supply chain to ensure that traceability is retained on these certified hides. We do this by purchasing hides directly from abattoirs and then contracting all stages of tanning and finishing in the UK. We preference a vegetable tanning method, not using polyurethanes or plastics and making considered choices in all stages of production. The result is a beautiful 100% vegetable tanned leather suitable to a range of applications including footwear, accessories and furniture.

Is leather a sustainable material? In what ways can we ensure its sustainability?

In my work now and before British Pasture Leather, I was keen to look beyond the dominant narrative that leather is inherently sustainable because hides are deemed a ‘waste’ or ‘byproduct’ by the meat industry. We can ensure its sustainability when we look at the whole picture, from the farming practices in which it originated, the food system it has been produced by and the manufacturing it has undergone. I think context is really important. If we view leather as something separate from agriculture it removes the opportunity to support a transition to a regenerative model of consumption. We can ensure its sustainability when we look at its entire
life cycle, from raw material through to design. As a designer leather is a beautiful material to work with. I have experienced that people producing leather have a great appreciation for the unique qualities and ingenuity of it as a natural material. Those skilled crafts people are passionate about leather as a material that has been entwined with human development. Championing its natural genius through design, making items to keep for a long time, repair and love is one way to ensure leathers sustainability.
The industry has many working groups and certifications to support users of leather and brands to source sustainably. These include the Leather Working Group, Sustainable Leather Foundation and the Textile Exchange.

What’s the biggest challenge when it comes to sustainable leather?

Leather can be created in many different ways, each with varying levels of sustainability. For instance, there are many methods of producing leather which results in a material that is durable, versatile, repairable and depending how it has been produced it can be entirely biodegradable and circular. One challenge is that a huge majority of leather today has a coating of plastic on it, or has been heavily finished, these techniques are used to meet brands and customers performance expectations. These are rather genius approaches to creating better cutting yields to reduce waste and enable mass manufacturing of identical products. The consequence is lack of tolerance for natural character, viewing it as a flaw to be ‘corrected’ to meet industry standards. Beyond this I believe leather’s sustainability has to do with fairness and equity along the supply chain. I believe we need to look at leathers sustainability holistically, beginning with the farm level and continuing with the same mindset in the approach to production to manufacture and design. Although there are many challenges within this - globally complex supply chains, consumer’ perceptions to quality needing to shift - reframing leather as a material connected to local landscapes, communities, soil health, ecosystem restoration presents opportunities for new collaboration, storytelling and education.

What’s the role of the end consumer towards a shift in the leather industry?

The leather has taken a huge hit with the rise of plastics and leather like materials. People can now access products that aesthetically imitate leather, often without the price implication of the real thing. Often these products don’t last as long and are made from petrochemicals. I think education is really important. As a leather goods designer at RCA I was presented with eather to work with and I had so many questions, of which I could find no answers regarding traceability, impact, connection. Many of the reasons I was hesitant to work with the material was because of its obscurity and association with industrial agriculture and those negative associated impacts. I think all of us have a responsibility to be curious, ask questions and hold brands accountable to their purchasing practices.

If there would be one adjective to describe leather, which one would it be?

Storyteller (Storytelling)

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