Our Mission
Fibershed Ukraine seeks to unite educators, manufacturers, farmers, and textile producers across the country to rebuild a natural textile industry. Ukraine has a rich history in textile production, with hemp, linen, and wool once cultivated at a local level using regenerative practices without chemical inputs. Today, however, domestic textile production has largely disappeared, and most materials are imported.
Our goal is to revive this industry by fostering collaboration and reintroducing environmentally sustainable methods. By supporting local production, we aim to create economic opportunities while promoting practices that benefit both the environment and the economy.
Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative textile farming is based on principles of regenerative agriculture, which goes beyond organic practices by actively improving ecosystems, soil health, and water cycles. It involves techniques like multi-species planting, integrating livestock, and avoiding tilling, creating healthier soils that retain moisture and store carbon. This approach, when applied to fibres like cotton, wool, hemp, and silk, can help the fashion industry not only reduce harm but also restore landscapes traditionally exploited by it. While this shift alone won’t solve all industry challenges, it offers a way to reconnect with clothing by fostering more sustainable and localized production practices.
Three key areas of focus of Fibershed Affiliates in Europe
Bast Fibres
Ukrainians have been cultivating hemp, nettle, and flax for millennia. The oldest fabric sample was discovered during archaeological excavations of Trypillian settlements. Experts estimate it to be over 4,000 years old.
Until the 1970s, bast fibers were cultivated by Ukrainians in harmony with the environment. Today, few of us remember the traditional methods of textile production: how to grow, harvest, process, and weave.
Flax, hemp, and nettle are crops that significantly improve and restore soil health. They can serve as sources of food, building materials, paper, and more.
Our community brings together weavers, artisans, farmers, and educational institutions to preserve and modernize the tradition of bast fiber production.
Wool
Ukrainian wool production traditions are very similar to those in Europe. Unfortunately, as in many regions of Europe, these traditions are disappearing along with the knowledge of their craftsmanship.
Careless wool production has a significant negative impact on the environment. For example, improper grazing and overbreeding have led to the degradation of large areas of land, affecting ecosystems and biodiversity.
Poor grazing practices and irresponsible wool production have, for example, turned vast lands into a desert, leading the country to both economic and environmental catastrophe.
Wool has always been a part of our tradition. We unite farmers who practice traditional wool production methods to restore our customs of sustainable production in Ukraine.
Natural Dyes
It is well known that in traditional clothing, colour holds significant communicative value, conveying information about the places of origin, among other things.
Colours carry symbolic meanings. But how did Ukrainians obtain all these colours in the past? Through the plants and minerals that surrounded our ancestors, which later provided beautiful hues for embroidered garments. For example, black was always derived from wool from rare black sheep, while blue was nearly inaccessible and was brought in through trade routes.
We are exploring the tradition of natural dyes to revive ecological textile dyeing methods.
Together, we can transform the textile industry in Ukraine — join our community!
