Fashion industry leaders swapped high heels and dress shoes for boots this week to tour local cotton farms and gain a better understanding of the industry.
The former Editor of Vogue Magazine, Kirstie Clements, and Sportscraft CEO, Adrian Jones were among those who flew in on Tuesday morning to visit Auscott and the Carberry family farm.
Cotton Australia and Auscott facilitated the tour in the hope that fashion heavyweights would return to the city with a better appreciation of the industry’s professionalism and the superior quality of Australian cotton.
The ultimate aim for the cotton industry is to encourage more clothing manufacturers to actively source Australian cotton for their products, rather than synthetics or cheaper cotton produced in Asia and Africa.
“Not a lot of people in the city really understand where their food and fibre comes from,” said Cotton Australia’s Marketing Manager, Arthur Spellson.
“If you show this side of the industry to influential people it helps us sell a good message about our farmers and what we do for the economy.
“If we get brands willing to endorse Australian cotton, and if we can get the general public proud of our industry, that would ensure growth.”
In the past cotton has been viewed by some as a water intensive crop requiring many chemicals, but the industry has come a long way.
The advent of genetically modified cotton plants now means crops require far less water and chemical to produce the same amount of bales.
The Australian cotton industry has achieved a 40% increase in water productivity over the last decade, and an 80% reduction in pesticide use, with some crops not sprayed for insects at all.
The industry is one of the country’s largest rural export earners.
For the last two seasons, the Australian cotton industry has generated in excess of $2.5 billion in export revenue, making it one of Australia’s largest rural export earners.
“There can be a total disconnect and a lot of misconceptions but from a cotton industry point of view we have a lot of positives to share with the community,” Mr Spellson added.
The cotton industry is following the wool industry’s lead.
Australian Wool Innovation Limited has run a hugely successful campaign to target high end fashion and market a premium product.
While the cotton industry has, in the past, been less proactive than the wool industry, the new campaign to educate influential figures in fashion appears to be working.
Tim Sutton from Circle Park Menswear in Sydney has started trying to source Australian cotton for their clothes.
“It can be difficult to know if what you’re getting is 100% Australian cotton, there are some traceability issues but we are keen to start using Australian cotton,” he said.
Similary, Peter Redding from high end UK clothing company, Liberty Prints, believes Australian cotton could one day rival Egyptian cotton as a choice for manufacturers looking for a premium product.
And while Target markets itself as a budget clothing brand, the giant franchise launched a premium 100% Australia cotton clothing line six months ago.
The tour covered all aspects of cotton production, with visitors riding in cotton pickers and inspecting plants about to be picked.
They were able to see new style round bales and the older style rectangular modules, another example of the industry’s advancement in recent years.
It was then off to the Auscott gin to view the ginning process and watch the bales prepared for export.
Former Vogue editor Kirstie Clements said she had gained a much more thorough knowledge of the cotton industry as a result of the tour.
“I sort of had a vague idea but going back and seeing the initial processes, all the nuances of production, that’s how you make an expert choice as a consumer,” she said.
“I speak to a lot of fashion houses and consultants so it’s helping them get the bigger picture as well.
“Ultimately I think where the clothes are coming from and how they’re
being made will become more and more important to the consumer.
“This is already evident in that Target is now actually going to the factory and making sure that the cotton they’re getting is Australian and that it hasn’t been blended with cotton from other places.”