Interview: Buxton Midyette
March 26. 2018
Buxton has more than 25 years of experience in the cotton industry. His background includes working as a Strategy Consultant specializing in the retail and apparel for Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA). Previous to working at KSA, Buxton was the Director of Latin American Operations for COTTON USA.
+ Why is Transparency important?
Transparency is of particular importance for premium materials to be able to verify their presence in the labeled products, because it substantiates it’s premium price in an era of story-telling.
+ What company outside of the apparel industry is doing a good job in regards to Transparency?
Alice Waters, the founder of Chez Panisse, who led the modern farm-to-table movement in the 1970s. She understood both the impact that quality ingredients have on the dishes she served as well as the importance of sharing this story with her diners.
+ What person in the apparel industry do you consider inspiring?
Michael Preysman of Everlane has really led the movement to “radical transparency” by sharing his costs and manufacturer’s identity with customers. What he is doing has gotten notice in both apparel and home fashion and is driving brands and retailers to share more information with their customers.
+ What is it you would like to learn yourself from Transformers?
I would like to learn how other companies are approaching transparency. How are companies promoting sustainability using transparency to tell their story?
+ What book about Transparency should the audience read?
I have not found a book directly addressing transparency in fashion but Dan Barber, Chef of Blue Hill Farms in his book The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food addresses some of the same topics we face in fashion: organic vs. conventional sources, fine dining vs. fast food, the cost of meeting higher standards. I don’t always agree with his conclusions but he raises all the right questions.
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