Sally Fox’s farm is unique in its sole dedication to creating raw materials to make textiles (rather than food), and to grow them, both wool and cotton, organically. To grow materials for the specific purpose of making textiles, rather than for industrial uses or bedding, means spending much more time tending to fine details; the length of the fiber, cleanliness, and yield, so that the materials work well with the machinery, and will make a long-lasting and beautiful shirt or sweater. Sally has given great care to raising the sheep used in Pioneer, in turn, making a beautiful base for which we could make this yarn. Our goal is to support farmers, US mills, and to create a yarn, year after year, which yields 5 stitches per inch for the perfect sweater.

In 2013, we created our first batch of our Pioneer line of yarn. This was a momentous occasion for us as it was our first farm yarn - and it was the beginning of our collaboration with textile-farmer Sally Fox. We named this yarn Pioneer due to Sally’s innovative and progressive farming practices as she practices organic and bio-dynamic farming, and has worked tirelessly to raise naturally colored wool and cotton in alignment with the health of the Earth. She has given so much to the American textile community and beyond for over thirty years.

As of August 2019, we have changed the name of Pioneer to Horizon. Unfortunately, the name Pioneer is problematic and has negative colonialistic connotations that we would like to avoid and not associate with such an amazing yarn. Though originally trying to convey the innovative spirit of the farmer, the name Pioneer can be seen as a glorification of the atrocities white settlers afflicted against Native Americans. We are part of an incredible community at Verb and want to be respectful of the indigenous populations within our community and beyond. We feel this is more in line with our mission statement. We hope you understand and join us in the commitment to make a more equitable industry.

Our yarn Horizon will maintain the original integrity and quality of Pioneer with a name that embodies a more complete story illustrating our aspiration as a company - to making the world better for everyone through textiles.

We hope you will support us through this transition and update and use the hashtag #avfkwhorizon for your past and future projects.

LEARN MORE on AVFKW new podcast REVERBERATE! Interview with Sally Fox EP.1