HERITAGE

SUSTAINABILITY

Zero Kilometer Schoolwear Fellowship

AUTUMN on HVAR

On Hvar, zero kilometer eating is a way of life — fish from the sea grilled with oil from the orchard, enjoyed with wine from the trellis.

But what about apparel? For most of human history, clothing was just as rooted as food. Dalmatian flax grew in the field, was retted in the river, spun at home, and worn by the family that tended it. Wool came from the sheep on the karst. Color came from walnut hulls, weld, and wild chamomile. Nothing traveled far. Nothing was wasted.

The Field School's Zero Kilometer Schoolwear Fellowship invites a practitioner to spend the fall with us on this island, working alongside our children to design something that has never existed before: a “school uniform” or community wardrobe built from the ground up by the children who will wear it.

The Fellowship

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    Role

    Field Fellows join our community in a dual role: as a participant — enrolling your own children in the program alongside other Field School families — and as a contributing expert, mentoring our faculty on a food preservation project that draws on your knowledge and practice.

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    Reciprocity

    In return, we offer a full scholarship covering your children's tuition for the term. We aren't able to cover travel or accommodation, so this works best for families who have the flexibility — whether that's a homeschooling lifestyle, a sabbatical year, or simply the appetite for an unconventional fall.

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    Storytelling

    We'd love to be part of your story if this experience moves you, and we ask for one long-form piece (a podcast episode, Substack essay, or video) within 90 days of your residency, provided that it feels like a natural fit.

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    Dates

    The fall session runs September 7 through November 28, 2026. A shorter summer session is available August 8–22 for those who can't commit to the full term.

THE PROJECT

How does we wear our identities? How does where we belong show up in what we wear?

Our students will study how Hvar’s ancient communities answered that question — from the skins of pre-historic hunter-gatherers to the draped linens of ancient Rome.

From that foundation, the children will design a collective wardrobe or reimagined uniform for the Field School community that reflects who they are and where they are. Along the way they'll develop real hands-on skills — natural dyeing, visible mending, upcycling, and basic pattern-making.

The result is clothing that reinterprets ethnography and zero-waste textile practices as contemporary youth fashion.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

The right fellow is a practitioner — someone with genuine depth in one or more of the crafts that make zero kilometer clothing possible: natural dyeing, visible mending, upcycling, sustainable sourcing, or the history of dress and material culture. You might be an arts educator, a textile artist, a slow fashion educator, or a designer who has built a practice around making clothing mean something again. We're particularly drawn to people who know how to make a child feel proud of what they've made — and excited about what they're wearing.

NOMINATE

If someone comes to mind when you read this, please share this page or send us their name and a line about why you think they'd be a good fit. If this sounds like your kind of autumn, we'd love to hear from you directly.

There's no formal application — just reach out to Field School Director Carolyn or book a call.