Craftswomen Brittany Cole Bush and Laura Schoorl began working as purveyors of ecologically sound sheep hides by chance. Embarking on a search for regionally produced, hair-on leather in order to create clutches, bags and shoes, they found an untapped source of gorgeous hides, as well as a way to close a vast stream of waste in the production cycle.
In retrospect, perhaps the discovery was fate. Several years prior, Bush had come to see herself as a modern-day shepherdess when she helped found Star Creek Land Stewards. By bringing herds of sheep and goats to public and private land, the contract grazing company reduces the threat of wildfire, increases the biodiversity of the land, and produces sustainable meat and fiber. As a hobby, Bush also crafted functional leather accessories, but had never worked with her own hides.
Schoorl, a longtime member of the Bay Area craft scene, was already dedicated to the idea of sustainable materials for her own leather goods, as well as a line of organic, American-grown cotton underwear. When Bush suggested they try to source Star Creek hides for their respective projects, Schoorl jumped on the opportunity.
Bush explains, “I thought, how cool would it be to have the connection of our local product developed from the hides of animals grazing right here in Oakland? And Laura agreed it’d be awesome.”
After visiting a meat processing facility in California’s Central Valley to select raw pelts and readying them for crafting with a long-standing, family-owned tannery, Bush and Schoorl saw that the full hides were simply too beautiful to cut up. They knew there would be a market for such a unique product.
Demand for hides was high, as sheepskin had become a massive decorating trend with big box stores like Ikea and Target peddling cheap, highly processed pieces. Simultaneously, hides from the many sustainably raised animals in California’s food system were a byproduct with no local outlet, baled up and shipped to China to avoid the expense of putting them in the U.S. waste stream.
“All these pelts just go to China and are turned into who-knows-what and basically rendered unrecognizable,” Bush said. “A valuable byproduct of the meat industry is essentially lost.”
Hides that do make it back intact are processed and tanned with toxic heavy metals like chrome, making them even more unsustainable. And while Bush notes that any tanning process is still “environmentally touchy,” the process she and Schoorl use for their hides is “the most benign tanning process available in the U.S.”
Despite inherent limitations, by selling a few hundred hides at craft fairs in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, Shepherdess Holistic Hides have effectively ended part of a massive waste stream. Although it is only removes a fraction of the byproduct produced in California, their efforts mark the beginning of a more holistic system.
“By taking these pelts and getting them into the urban centers, we’re not only selling a beautiful product, but we also have the opportunity to educate urban people about the full circle of honoring these animals that go into the foodshed,” Bush said. “It’s pretty cool and dynamic for this product that comes from ranching to go straight into the urban center. I really love the connection of closing that gap.”
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Seven.
Images by Gina Esposito and Eva Kolenko.
xx Tessa Love