Woman Grows Jeans

Beedles, Perelandra

Abstract

Woman Grows Jeans, a powerful new environmental documentary co-produced by University of Salford lecturer Perelandra Beedles,
The documentary follows Justine Aldersey-Williams, founder of The Wild Dyery in Hoylake, who has spent the last five years documenting her journey to grow and produce a pair of jeans from scratch—entirely in the UK. From sowing flax and indigo to spinning, weaving, and sewing, Woman Grows Jeans is a rare and intimate portrait of a community-powered, regenerative textile movement in the heart of Britain’s industrial north.

The project originated during the Homegrown Homespun experiment in Blackburn, launched in 2021 by Aldersey-Williams in collaboration with BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant, and community arts programme Super Slow Way. Their goal: to prove that a truly sustainable garment—rooted in local materials, heritage skills, and ecological responsibility—could be made outside of the globalised fashion system.

"This is more than a film about making jeans," says Perelandra Beedles, a Senior Lecturer in Television Production Management at the University of Salford and co-producer of the documentary. "It’s about reconnecting with land, legacy, and each other. It challenges everything we think we know about clothing, sustainability, and the pace of modern life."

Combining lyrical visuals with powerful reflection, the documentary examines themes of eco-anxiety, climate action, and the power of slow fashion as a form of resistance and reconnection. Informed by Beedles' own academic focus on sustainability and ethical production in the screen industries, the project also adhered to BAFTA’s Albert sustainable production guidelines, ensuring a low-carbon filmmaking process in line with its core message.

Director: Justine Aldersey-Williams Producer: Perelandra Beedles Screenings: Nationwide via the UK Green Film Network (including Picturehouse & The Light cinemas) Q&A Guests: Justine Aldersey-Williams (The Wild Dyery), Perelandra Beedles (University of Salford) In partnership with: Super Slow Way, Community Clothing, British Textile Biennial

• Digital Artefact Type: Video
• Online Publication Date: May 15, 2025
• Publication Date: May 15, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 11, 2025
• Related Public URLs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIBk2k0Geek
• External URL: https://school.naturalfabricdyeing.com/woman-grows-jeans