We’re revolutionizing our supply chain with a bold move: Direct partnerships with American cotton farmers. Our mission? A responsible, transparent cotton journey. This work is now woven into the fabric of our garments, starting with some of our cotton Bras and Panties, bringing this cotton from Alabama farms to the world.
Meet Our Alabama Farm Partners
Billy Bridgeforth
Bridgeforth Farms started after the Civil War under the leadership of George Bridgeforth, a former slave who persevered to buy and farm land. Today, Billy and his family run the 10,000-acre business. As chairman of the National Black Growers Council, he advocates on behalf of Black farmers in the US and abroad through organizations like 4-H, the Youth Development Program of the USDA, and the Cooperative Extension System.
Larkin Martin
Head of Martin Farm in Courtland, Alabama, she is a seventh-generation operator who moved back home to manage the family farm when her father passed away three decades ago. Martin is an advocate of regenerative farming techniques employing crop rotation and “no till” or “low till” plowing in efforts to support carbon sequestration, reduce soil erosion, and decrease runoff into nearby waterways. Martin Farm also uses cover crops to help enrich the soil and suppress weeds. She continues to evaluate and test new methodologies like using compost teas to improve organic matter in the soil and reduce the use of fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers.
Liz Spruell
As a partner of Spruell Farms in Mount Hope, Alabama, she finds herself as a fourth-generation, fulltime, row-crop farmer. After a career in commercial banking, she now oversees 8,000 acres of owned and leased land growing cotton, corn, soybeans, and wheat across six counties. Her goal is to ensure Spruell Farms continues its innovative, forward-thinking practices to contribute positively to the community, environment, and its partners for generations to come.
Jamie Blyth
Blyth is a single mom to two young children and a fifth-generation farmer of Blythe Cotton Co., in northwest Alabama. For 100 years, Blythe Cotton Co. produced only cotton, but more recently has introduced crop rotation—rotating corn followed by cotton, wheat, and soybeans—to enrich the soil. Further, Blythe integrates livestock, including horses and cattle, to graze and recycle nutrients across the landscape. She is dedicated to nurturing her land for future generations.
Meet Our Creative Partner, Tiffany Hardin
Founder of Gild Creative Group and the producer/director of our cotton journey video (above), Hardin has been along with us every step of the way. We’re proud to spotlight her first-hand experiences at the farms.
“My company produced this film project, which allows consumers to peek behind the curtain of diverse American farmers who produce cotton for the brands.
As an independently owned and operated agency, I have been able to hire a talented, southern Black production team to develop a story about a crop that intersects with our ancestors’ lives. I was drawn to this project because my family is from the Deep South, and I wanted to reclaim and heal a piece of me and tell a beautiful story of family, legacy, and connection.
Cotton is a beautiful plant that is used almost everywhere, yet no one talks about who creates it. I think the fashion community can appreciate VS&Co bringing these human stories to the forefront.”
It Takes a Village: Nine Victoria’s Secret Associates at the Helm of Our Cotton Journey
While our community of VS employees that helped with this initiative is vast, we’re proud to shine a light on a select few, who without, none of this would have been possible.
To learn more, check out our “Cotton Journey Report” to get all the details about our ongoing work.
This is just the beginning—stay tuned.