In an Australian first, Madi and Pip, a sustainable fashion label, recently launched its 100 per cent Australian cotton wedding gown at the One Fine Day wedding fair in Sydney's Barangaroo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Founder of Madi and Pip and the Australian Future Cotton Leader Emma Bond is inviting brides across Australia to consider their fashion choices carefully.
The bridal collection considers the changing sentiment towards the fashion economy - from utilising deadstock fabrics to choosing 100pc Australian naturally coloured cotton.
With couture flowing in her veins, Emma Bond is redefining the possibilities of Australian cotton.
"There is a disconnect between fashion consumers and garment supply chains - we need to re-humanise the story of how our clothes are made," Emma said.
"Share the time, skill and care at each stage of production so that people prioritise safe and renewable fibres, keep garments in use for longer and when a garment's time has finally come to an end, it can feed back into regenerative systems."
The collection is inspired by the legacy of Madeleine Jondeau, Emma's great-grandmother, a Parisian seamstress of House of Worth and Maison Paquin that settled at Farmer and Company in Pitt Street, Sydney.
Emma, who initially explored a career in education before deciding to start her fashion brand in 2019, grew up on a property about 20 kilometres from Nevertire.
Her family has built an 8000-hectare mixed sheep, cattle and cropping enterprise over the years, with her parents, grandfather, brothers and their families all living on the farm and operating in partnership.
"Growing up, I used to like spending the day out with my brothers in the sun, talking as we walked the rows of cotton, chipping. Initially, I had the best job - Dad entrusted me to walk at the back carrying the water bottle and to sing out if anyone missed a weed. I'm not sure my brothers really appreciated the gesture - they were quick to craft me a mini ho," Emma said.
She remembers cotton picking, harvest and shearing as the most exciting times on the farm, with an influx of extra people and machinery.
"It was exciting pulling the tarp over the cotton modules - and climbing on top for the best view," she said.
"Running on the wool bales was great fun as well, and whenever we were shearing, I'd help mum make scones for smoko."
Growing up, Emma's mother made a lot of her clothes. Seeing her cut and sew gave her an appreciation for them and ownership of her style.
"If that didn't create enough respect for clothing, then sewing them myself certainly did," she said.
"After primary school, I'd take sewing classes in Warren. Sewing didn't come easily to me. I'd try really hard, and often the result was not good. Luckily, I am very persistent. After more than 25 years of sewing, my technique has improved vastly, and I'm now a stickler for perfection."
Her father, too, was a source of inspiration for her designs.
"I would often see Dad craft and rebuild machinery. Like so many farmers, when you need something fixed, you often can't wait and will find your own creative solutions on-farm," she said.
"Similarly, in my studio, I always use what is available locally, and I save every offcut. I design, from pattern drafting to production, in my studio. I build my collections using deadstock fabrics (end of rolls of high-quality fabrics, including Australian cotton) and trim.
"For my recent bridal collection, the silk gowns were made almost entirely of remnants and offcuts from my studio and other local designers.
"When the opportunity presents itself, I love to rebuild garments. My bespoke gown of silks allows me to do just that - reimagine textiles of sentimental value (like a grandmother's wedding dress) with vintage and opulent fabric remnants."
Emma has a deep love for Australian cotton, and that passion has also seen her join the Australian Cotton Future Leaders Program in 2022.
"I have a sentimental attachment from childhood memories and a genuine respect for the industry - for their resilience, modernity and commitment to people, planet and paddock," she said.
"Growing up on the land and now working in design, I have lived experience across the cotton supply chain.
Emma has been welcomed with open arms onto farms, gins, and to cotton industry events; she has always found the industry to be very open and happy to answer any questions.
"I have been impressed by our local cotton industry's sustainability credentials, and cotton is my ideal fibre for design," she said.
"I select fabrics that enhance durability and desirability that fit within a circular fashion economy.
"Cotton feels beautiful on your skin. It is durable and supple. This flexibility makes sense as the particles of cotton once belonged to a plant photosynthesising energy from the sun.
"I can think of no better fibre to celebrate one's love for another in, and it makes me truly happy to craft wedding gowns using premium Australian cotton."
Emma also wants to encourage other primary producers to share their stories.
"Help reconnect the world to the story of how our clothes are made, and the love and dedication which starts with growing the fibre," she said.
"The quickest way for fashion to become more sustainable is if we all love the clothes we already have for longer.
"For that, we need appreciation and value of our clothes, which stems from an awareness of the people and environment that make them."
