COPENHAGEN – South African wool and mohair farmer Brett Walker represented producers from the Eastern Cape at the Global Fashion Summit as part of a panel highlighting the role of regenerative agriculture in the fashion sector.
Walker, a seventh-generation farmer, joined a discussion titled ‘Sustaining Textile Systems: Regeneration in Practice’, alongside Federico Brugnoli, CEO of sustainability consultancy SPIN360, and Beth Jensen, climate director at Textile Exchange.
The panel explored how regenerative practices can restore ecosystems and improve supply chain resilience in the textile industry. “We farm with nature, not against it,” Walker told the audience, citing his family’s work with rotational grazing since the 1980s as a response to land degradation.
“Regeneration has become a ‘buzzword’ in fashion but for us it isn’t a trend, it’s how we live.”
Walker’s appearance at the summit reflects broader developments in South Africa’s natural fibre sector, particularly a new partnership between Mohair South Africa (MSA) and SPIN360. The collaboration includes the development of life cycle assessment (LCA) data, internationally recognised product category rules, and a measurable sustainability roadmap for the mohair industry.
SPIN360 has also opened a new office in South Africa to support the initiative. The office is led by Lindsay Humphreys, head of global strategy and partnerships, who said the region offers not only premium materials but “generations of regenerative knowledge, often practised without certification or recognition.”
The work comes amid growing legislative pressure on the fashion sector to improve transparency and reduce its environmental impact. South African producers, the panel argued, are well positioned to contribute credible, land-based solutions to these challenges.
