Black Fiber & Textile Network

Member Spotlight: adé Oni is the dynamic creative being behind?dièdiè textile studio?and micromill. dièdiè is a locally-scaled textile farm and raw textile material production space. They provide low-carbon, raw, processed, and value-added cellulose-fiber and natural dye materials, as well as educational experiences to the Piedmont North Carolina bioregion (and beyond). di??di?? is interpreted from native Yorùbá tongue as meaning ‘slow’, ‘gradual’, ‘little by little’ - this is the central principle guiding their work. dièdiè is being designed and developed as a hybrid worker/producer cooperative business that centers regenerative land care, African and Indigenous material culture and craftways, ecological presence, creative expression, and healing justice. They are part of a growing fibershed revival movement that is activating glocal solutions for addressing the severity of damage that our global textile supply patterns have on our daily lives. dièdiè is a locally-rooted commitment to holding generative practice space for the systemic and cultural shifts we need to meet the healing futures we dream of. di??di?? has launched a fundraiser to support this vision. Please support if you can and share: https://lnkd.in/ewMX9P36 Spotlight Credits: Executive Produced by Black Fiber & Textile Network Produced by The House of Malico Filmed and Directed by Sasha Kelley Editing & Post Production by Openi Score composed by Philip Iroh

Member Spotlight: Mahdiyyah Muhammad is a Fabric Alchemist, Zero Waste Designer, Circular Fashion Strategist and Educator who approaches the design process with attention to nature’s ecosystems and ancestral practices of resilience. She does this through her business MAHDIYYAH. Her process of Fabric Alchemy involves the use of techniques like upcycling and mechanical recycling. She primarily uses discarded textiles and only works with natural fibers like cotton, linen, hemp and silk. As an educator, her workshops support communities to expand their understanding of conscious consumption, natural resources, and ancestral practices of sustainability. She also works with companies and academic institutions to design strategies like adopting material innovations through textile waste reduction, determining environmentally conscious choices, and uplifting the ways local global majority communities are leading the development of sustainable futures. Spotlight Credits: Executive Produced by Black Fiber & Textile Network? Produced by The House of Malico Filmed and Directed by Sasha Kelley Editing & Post Production by Openi? Score composed by Philip Iroh

Member Spotlight: ROOLē by Gordon Holliday, is an upcycle and bio-fashion brand focused on reworking natural fibers. ROOLē stands at the forefront of sustainable fashion, redefining the industry’s landscape through a compelling blend of environmental responsibility and cultural storytelling. Committed to minimizing its ecological footprint, ROOLē is a trailblazing brand that harnesses the power of biodegradable materials and upcycled clothing, forging a path toward a greener future. With a distinctive ethos, the brand not only crafts exquisite apparel but also cultivates local communities, fostering a sense of togetherness that transcends borders. In addition to these spotlight videos a short film was produced to highlight our network. There will be screenings in the next few months, the first one is in the Bay Area on November 25th. bftn member Spotlight Credits : Executive Produced by Black Fiber & Textile Network Produced by The House of Malico Filmed and Directed by Sasha Kelley Editing & Post Production by Openi Score composed by Philip?Kelechi?Nnamdi Iroh

It's almost giving season; are you taking an ecosystems approach to how you fund or support organizations?

We love this collaboration between our members Seed2Shirt and adé oni?? The lovely adé of dièdiè textile farm & mill dyed Seed2Shirt's new cotton yarn with marigolds that were grown on Seed2Shirt's pilot farm in Whitakers, North Carolina. Seed2Shirt's new yarn is made with 100% cotton grown by Black farmers in their cotton-collective. What a beautiful, bountiful and earth-forward collaboration. bftn exists to support these types of Black, regenerative futures. And luckily for all of us, the future is here now??

We are still basking in the beautifulness of Harvesting Nature’s Rainbow with?Mahdiyyah Muhammad?&?Kesiena Onosigho. This workshop is an act of cultural preservation. It is vital that we all learn ways to work with the earth regeneratively. photography by Nyrie. @visionyrie

We are still basking in the beautifulness of Harvesting Nature’s Rainbow with?Mahdiyyah Muhammad?&?Kesiena Onosigho. This workshop is an act of cultural preservation. It is vital that we all learn ways to work with the earth regeneratively. photography by Nyrie. @visionyrie

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT : Mahdiyyah Muhammad ? Mahdiyyah Muhammad is a Fabric Alchemist, Zero Waste Designer, Circular Fashion Strategist and Educator who approaches the design process with a perspective akin to nature’s complex ecosystems and ancestral practices of intentional consumption. Her process of Fabric Alchemy involves the use of techniques like upcycling and mechanical recycling of discarded, naturally-occurring textiles into mono-material, biodegradable clothing. Her workshops offer participants a bridge to reconnect with their understanding of conscious consumption, natural resources, and ancestral practices of sustainability. She also works within companies and academic settings to design strategies that identify new ways to incorporate textile waste innovations, and choices that limit the negative impact on local communities of the global majority, and the fashion industry. Check out Mahdiyyah Muhammad at HARVESTING NATURE’S RAINBOW: A NATURAL DYE WORKSHOP in Brooklyn, New York. ?Photo by Unkle Clarence

For Black August our amazing bftn members Kesiena Onosigho & Mahdiyyah Muhammad will be leading “Harvesting Nature’s Rainbow” August 18th, 21st & 24th in Brooklyn NYC. In this workshop, Kesiena Onosigho, founder of Kept Flowers and Mahdiyyah Muhammad will collaborate with Good Life Garden , Oko Farms & East New York Farms!, 3 local farms owned and operated by land stewards of the global majority to share information and lead discussion about the beautiful process of dyeing naturally-occurring material using the plants and natural dye provided to us in nature. RSVP 8/21 https://lnkd.in/gcvGSy-7 RSVP 8/24 https://lnkd.in/gXEM4QXF ?

?? Regenerative agriculture can give us strategies to better create circular economies that are rooted in cultural, environmental and economic equity ? At #Circularity24, Teju N. Adisa-Farrar, Co-Creator & Director of Programs,? Black Fiber & Textile Network & Fibers Fund discussed this with a particular focus on fiber and textile production: https://lnkd.in/gtbZMhrA