Seed&U

Cotton Grown Using Regenerative Practices –– Since Umber & Ochre began in 2011, we have striven for our products to have the least degenerative impact on the environment. From design to our final products, we utilize sustainable practices through working with dye houses that use botanical matter respective to the regions in India (which is a significant part of the U&O namesake), working with artisans to create clothing that tell stories native to cultural and generational practices that date back hundreds of years (handloom pedal weaving, natural yarn dyeing, wood block printing, stitching and more). Over time, we have sought to improve an essential part of our supply chain –– the source of our cotton.

After years of building our supply chain network from the ground-up, we are proud to have initiated our Seed&U program –– cotton grown using regenerative practices –– to further our commitment to positive social and environmental impact. Now more than ever, the revolution in regenerative agriculture reverses climate change and the disparity within rural farming communities.

In collaboration with Raddis Cotton, the world's first system brand growing rain-fed cotton in a regenerative eco-system, who facilitates the relationship between brands and the stewardship of the land, U&O is excited to launch our first Seed&U regenerative cotton collection for the Spring/Summer season of 2023. 

The regenerative approach is entirely holistic in creating an ecosystem where there are no GMO seeds or pesticides used to treat the soil. Instead, the farmers diversify the land by intercropping plants, such as: corn, garlic, chile and marigolds. From these harvests, the farmers create homegrown recipes that are used to nourish and grow the yields of the crops. As the crops are all rain fed, there is zero waste in water usage.

The Seed&U program puts people and the Earth at the core of their production processes. Our efforts in creating holistic practices improves sustainability and growth in the apparel industry’s environmental impact. Umber & Ochre is bonding the relationship between human to seed, and regenerating that seed to the wares in your daily life.

As our garments are made of cotton, implementing regenerative agriculture in our supply chain enables our customers to be an active part of positive change in the apparel industry. 

The special partnership with Raddis Cotton helps to create a holistic ecosystem that cultivates biodiversity and farming entrepreneurship in the region of Andhra Pradesh, Southeast India.

Our Seed&U cotton product offerings create a consciousness in textile production, focusing on: sequestering carbon emissions, water conservation, and building entrepreneurship within rural farming communities. Radically, regenerative cotton farming catalyzes human action towards permanent solutions for the land and the people who nurture it. Farmers have more control over their land and their process, which creates more opportunities of generational wealth within their immediate communities and families.

“At Umber & Ochre, we believe in promoting the wellbeing of this unseen community while doing our part to preserve the natural world,” says Kunal Desai, U&O founder, “The solutions are not temporary, they are permanent.”

In our Seed&U initiative, we are committed to bringing a product to you that benefits the Earth and humankind.

FACTS shared with our non NGO partner, Raddis Cotton:

• India is losing over 5,000 tonnes of soil per year due to malnourishment of the soil and natural disasters, such as cyclones and landslides.
• We are currently invested in 50 acres of regenerative cotton farming in the coastal region of the Vizianagaram District in Andhra Pradesh, localizing our impact of healing the land.

For our first cotton harvest in December 2021-February 2022, we achieved:

• Sequester nearly 39 tonnes of carbon emissions from the atmosphere
• Conserve 20 million liters of water
• Remove 7.7 kilograms of toxic pesticides & 1,775 kilograms of chemical fertilizers from the soil
• Our Seed&U program impacts the financial independence of approximately 40 households and up to 200 individuals. Each household has a landholding of up to 3 acres.

As we continue to build our relationships with our partners, we are humbled to be a part of a movement with reciprocal effects on people and the Earth. The Seed&U program wouldn't be possible without Raddis and we are incredibly thankful for their partnership.

In serving as a catalyst for generational wealth and renewal of the soil, we invite our Umber & Ochre community to join us in raising awareness and having a hand in these long-term regenerative solutions.