Live at SXSW - Farmer-Founded Brands Will Save American Fashion

This is a special live episode recorded this past March at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and it features a conversation I had the honor of moderating with two powerhouse guests: Cate Havstad-Casad of Range Revolution and Daniel Mouw of Duckworth. The title of the panel was Farmer-Founded Brands Will Save American Fashion. At first glance, that might sound like a bold claim, but these two are actually doing the work to make it real. Cate is a designer, hatmaker, and regenerative rancher whose company, Range Revolution, is turning discarded cattle hides into regenerative high-end leather goods. Daniel is the president of Duckworth, a Montana-based wool company that's rebuilding the American supply chain– one sheep, sweater, and ranch at a time. Together, we dug into some big questions: What happened to American-made textiles? Why are most of us walking around wearing plastic? And what would it look like to rebuild rural economies from the ground up, using natural fibers like leather and wool, raised and processed responsibly, here in the United States? It might sound like we're talking fashion and manufacturing trends—but this is really a conversation about values, ecosystems, and the future of rural America. Cate and Daniel are funny, deeply thoughtful, and grounded in the realities of both agriculture and business. They bring hard-earned optimism to a conversation that too often gets bogged down in doom and gloom. And they make a compelling case for why fashion can be a vehicle for stewardship, beauty, and connection to the land. We also had a sharp, engaged audience that asked some truly insightful questions– you'll hear a few of those toward the end. Thanks to Cate and Daniel for the amazing conversation, thanks to SXSW for inviting us, and thank you for listening. --- SXSW Range Revolution Casad Family Farms Duckworth Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sxsw/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 2:10 - Introductions 6:35 - A history lesson in US fiber production 10:22 - Current supply chain challenges facing producers 16:17 - Why natural fibers are superior to synthetics 19:17 - The true cost of synthetics and fast fashion 23:17 - How Range Revolution and Duckworth are restoring economic power to ag producers 27:36 - The unique role of for-profit businesses in solving these challenges 33:13 - Positivity as a strategic business decision 37:09 - How do you scale this regenerative fashion movement? 40:32 - Embracing natural characteristics in design 42:06 - How to capture attention in today's information age 46:13 - What would an ideal community support system look like? 50:26 - Fabric frequencies! 52:53 - How to convert standard retail buyers into regenerative buyers 56:40 - Any collaboration with the EU fashion industry? --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts