Who We Are
We are a community of fibre producers, processors, artisans, consumers and fibre-curious folks dedicated to creating a sustainable, resilient fibre ecosystem in the West Kootenay bioregion.
Our vision is to build a thriving, interconnected community that embraces sustainable, soil-to-soil fibre systems. By working together, we aim to support local livelihoods, foster deep connections to the land, and reduce our ecological footprint. We believe in a fibre economy that strengthens our bioregion, enhances environmental stewardship, contributes to climate resilience and builds community connections.
At the heart of our mission is collaboration. We connect the fibre community through accessible resources, networking, and education. Together, we cultivate a fibre system that values sustainability, equity, and creativity—empowering our members to grow, learn, and collaborate.
Through our Fibreshed, members gain access to valuable tools, shared resources, and educational opportunities that help them produce, process, and market textiles sustainably. We prioritize localism, focusing on bioregional resources and practices to ensure that our work contributes to a strong and self-reliant local economy.
We are guided by core values that reflect our commitment to sustainability, equity, and integrity. Our approach fosters a deep respect for the land, encourages creative solutions, and promotes resilience in the face of change. As stewards of the environment, we work to ensure that our textile practices honour the land and the people who depend on it.
Join us in building a vibrant, sustainable future for textiles in the West Kootenay!
How did the Fibershed movement start?
The project began in 2010 with a commitment by its founder, Rebecca Burgess, to develop and wear a prototype wardrobe whose dyes, fibres and labour were sourced from a bioregion no larger than 150 miles from the project’s headquarters in Northern California. Burgess had no expected outcomes from the personal challenge other than to reduce her own ecological footprint and maybe inspire a few others.
Burgess teamed up with a talented group of farmers and artisans to build the wardrobe by hand, as manufacturing equipment had all been lost from the landscape more than 20 years ago. The goal was to illuminate that regionally grown fibers, natural dyes, and local talent was still in great enough existence to provide this most basic human necessity—our clothes. Within months, the project became a movement, and the word Fibershed and the working concept behind it spread to bioregions across the globe.
(Source: https://fibershed.org/)
