More Farmers (and Friends of Farmers) Should Sell Sneakers (EXCLUSIVE)
It’s hard getting people to listen, let alone to truly care, about environmental issues. But Sky High Farm Goods believes it’s found a way.
“If you look at the media impressions between fashion, food, and beauty — the categories we've decided to enter into — those media impressions dwarf [the ones for] climate talk,” says Daphne Seybold, co-founder and CEO of Sky High Farm Goods.
A former marketing executive at COMME des GARÇONS and Dover Street Market, Seybold acutely understands how to leverage the fashion news cycle.
And she knows that fashion collaborations, like the one that Sky High Farm Goods is about to launch with Swiss sportswear label On, can spread a message far more efficiently than a campaign alone.
Sky High Farm Goods exists to raise money for Sky High Farm, a non-profit organization and agroecological farm in upstate work that, among other things, donates its harvests to locals otherwise unable to access nutrient-rich produce and provides fellowships to aspiring farmers.
But the only thing growing on these trees is leaves.
“Sky High Farm Goods is very much a direct response to limitations on traditional philanthropy,” says Seybold. Whereas most non-profits are reliant on donors or finicky government grants, her brand has carved open a unique source of funding.
In the three years since Seybold founded the brand with Dan Colen, an American artist who launched Sky High Farm in 2011, Sky High Farm Goods has raised approximately $1.6 million for Sky High Farm. The brand’s Wholesale Donation Program, where every retail partner pledges to donate directly to the farm, has contributed significant funding, as have its many collaborations.
Sky High Farm Goods' collaborative roster is pretty deep for a relatively young imprint. In its short lifespan, the brand has worked with everyone from Balenciaga to Nike and Erewhon to Kaws.
But while its collaborations previously served as singular (if thoughtful) headline-grabbers, Sky High Farm Goods is shifting towards more permanent connections.
“We're doing fewer partnerships, [and instead focusing on] bigger, longer-term partnerships with brands,” says Matty Friedman, brand and product director for Sky High Farm Goods. “We are in a world with a lot of flash-in-the-pan collaborations. In order to build something successful, I think both brands need to really understand each other, come together, and be able to tell a story over a long time.”
Sky High Farm Goods x On is the first expression of this new approach. On November 6, the first of many collections between the two brands will drop, this one reinventing On’s Cloud 6 sneaker in two specially developed colorways with the brand's moon and strawberry logo prominently displayed on the side. That Sky High Farm Goods chose On’s best-selling sneaker is no coincidence — this was a subtle move made to catch the eye of as many people as possible.
“For us to partner with On and use its most popular shoe felt like a commitment to foregrounding the brand in a way that felt very real, as opposed to it being a quick blip on the radar,” says Friedman, who’s developed a long-sleeved T-shirt, cap, and socks to complement the sneakers. “The idea is that we could start here and then progressively build. That was very powerful to us, and part of the reason why we wanted to pursue the partnership.”
Friedman’s been back and forth to On’s base in Zürich, and left every time impressed with its spray-on sneaker innovations and state-of-the-art fabrics. As Sky High Farm Goods’ collaborative line develops, expect to see more of On’s cutting-edge tech in the mix.
Of course, that’s partially the point. The benefit of a multiseason deal is the ability to semi-leisurely incorporate newness on a regular basis. This slower pace was both a big draw for Sky High Farm Goods and a factor in convincing its team of On’s pure intentions.
“A lot of people might see us as an easy route to make claims around commitments to [environmental] work,” says Seybold. “On took good care to understand the very specific and disparate space we're trying to represent in helping to support the farm's work.” After all, like bountiful harvests, good partnerships take time to grow.
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