FASHION and textiles students from Wiltshire College & University Centre have been exploring sustainability at its source during a visit to Great Cotmarsh Farm, gaining a deeper understanding of how science, land use and design come together.

Students studying the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Art, Design and Communication (Fashion & Textiles specialist pathway) at our Salisbury campus, spent the day learning where materials really come from – and how those choices shape the future of fashion.

Now in its second year, the visit has continued to grow alongside the farm itself. Students were encouraged to look beyond the finished garment and think about the journey materials take, starting with soil health and regenerative farming.

For this group of students, the visit was a different kind of learning experience – one that stepped away from the studio to explore the environmental and scientific foundations of fashion.

During the visit, students:

• Explored soil sampling and discussed regenerative agriculture
• Met sheep and cattle used for traceable fibre and hide production
• Toured Cotmarsh Tannery, where a vegetable-based micro-tannery is being developed for fully traceable hides
• Learned about lanolin found in sheep’s wool
• Harvested woad from the organic dye garden for natural textile dyeing

The experience helped our students reflect on consumer behaviour and question how fashion can be more responsible and transparent.

Reflecting on the day, one student said: “I learned today that the soil is the main working machine.” Another added that they enjoyed learning “how the soil is the base of so many things you wouldn’t have thought about.”

Great Cotmarsh Farm is a working farm with an education centre, delivering workshops that bring together environmental science, agriculture and creative practice. Its education work is supported by the Organic Soil Association, with workshops funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Visits like this give our students the chance to connect classroom learning with real-world practice, helping them develop the knowledge, curiosity and confidence needed for future careers in fashion and the creative industries.

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