Why Is Arizona Muse So Passionate About Biodynamic Farming in Ibiza?
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Top: a biodynamic farm in Ibiza. Bottom: Arizona Muse with son Cy Quinn surveying the land in Ibiza, via Arizona Muse Instagram.
Arizona Muse Moves Family to Ibiza As Ambitious Farmers in ELLE Espana September 2021 AOC Fashion
Writing in-depth about Arizona Muse’s move with her family to Ibiza in her ELLE Spain September 2021 cover story, I see now that this is not Muse’s first interview on the topic.
What is Biodynamic Farming?
London’s Evening Standard summed up the successful fashion model’s multi-hyphenated career path with this question: “You meet model-slash-actresses and model-slash-DJs… but how often have you come across a model-slash-agronomist?”
“From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, almost everything we rely on originates from the soil. Yet our disregard for this precious resource means we risk destroying one of our best solutions to the climate crisis. The food sector is catching on, but the apparel industry is fashionably late to the party,” Arizona Muse tells ES. “There’s so much to be done, and so much awareness to be raised.”
AOC has written numerous articles on replenishing soil — including Arizona Muse’s passion around regenerative agriculture. Biodynamic farming is a type of organic farming and a subset of regenerative agriculture.
Both practices prohibit the use of chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and synthetic promoters of growth. Organics and biodynamics both also use regenerative practices such as crop rotation and composting, tree planting and the integrated use of livestock.
Biodynamics creates its own identity using a set of practices that acknowledge a wider set of nature’s influences beyond our earth. Austrian scientist, Rudolf Steiner conceptualized biodynamic farming as living in concert with the planets including Saturn, as well as the moon and sun.
“Biodynamics therefore, uses special plant, animal and mineral preparations and the rhythmic influences of the sun, moon and planets to create a thriving ecosystem. Essentially, this approach looks at the soil as a living organism. One of the most significant benefits of biodynamic farming is the exceptional flavour, appearance and overall quality of its produce.,” writes New Zealand’s Ceres Organics.
Returning to Arizona Muse’s Evening Standard interview, we learn that biodynamic farming currently has the greatest foothold among grape growers and biodynamic wine drinkers.
This new AOC writing builds on last week’s ELLE Spain interview with Arizona Muse and her family’s move to Ibiza. Arizona’s husband, Boniface Verney-Carron, whom she married in 2017, Arizona’s son Nikko, and little Cy Quinn, 2 are all embracing a new life living in close concert with the land, but also sea and skies — in fact the entire universe.
Top model and sustainability expert Arizona Muse covers the September 2021 issue of ELLE Espana. Sylvia Montoliú styles Arizona in country woman luxury looks from Celine by Hedi Slimane, Chanel, Dior, Fendi, H&M, Isabel Marant, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Oscar de la Renta in images by Mario Sierra [IG]./ Hair & makeup by Kley Kafe
Reading the translated interview in ELLE Espana, AOC learned that Arizona Muse, her husband, Boniface Verney-Carron, whom she married in 2017, Arizona’s son Nikko, and little Cy Quinn, 2, have moved to Ibiza.
AOC has written about Arizona Muse’s deep commitment to regenerative agriculture. The concept of regenerative agriculture involves a series of farming and grazing practices that rebuild soil organic matter as the foundation for rehabilitating and enhancing the entire ecosystem. Beyond its bedrock focus on soil, maintaining excellent practices in animal welfare and farm workers fairness are fully integrated into regenerative agriculture.
Forbes has an article tonight Regenerative Agriculture: The Next Trend In Food Retailing.
Arizona tells ELLE Espana’s Laura Somoza that her ambition is to be a farmer, and there’s a lot of regenerative agriculture in the Balearic area. “It is incredible what farmers are doing, reclaiming previously desert areas and turning them green again. It is exciting to see how it happens, and I want to be part of this movement.”
She speaks of her work as an ambassador for Land Bank, “a wonderful program in which those who own farmlands but do not exploit them can give them up for others to use; that yes, maintaining the property. It is an exchange. It's a great way for poor people to have access to land. That should be a human right, although it is not respected.”
More Arizona Muse projects include founding her new charity ‘Dirt’ in June 2021, which sees farming as the future of sustainable fashion. Muse made the announcement coordinated with Sustainable Angle’s Future Fabrics Expo in London, an organization where Muse is a board member.
Saying her mission with Dirt is to help “make soil sexy” by supporting biodynamics education, research and conversion projects, Muse told WWD that “our disregard for this precious resource means we risk destroying one of our best solutions to the climate crisis. The food sector is catching on, but the apparel industry is fashionably late to the party.”
Dirt currently has 10 projects in the pipeline, at varying funding needs. These projects include forest protection in Brazil, mine regeneration in Uganda, biodynamic wool and leather farming expansion in the U.K. and two projects in Egypt — one to regreen desertified land and the other to further expand biodynamic cotton farming.
Arizona will be linking fashion brands to sustainability projects connected to regenerative farming. She notes that certification by Demeter will be required in any projects that she oversees in [another name] biodynamic farming.
“Vagueness around certain terms makes for fertile ground for greenwashing, especially in fashion. Regenerative is already being co-opted and losing meaning because there is no certification, which allows brands to take just a small aspect of regenerative and then stamp it on a collection. Words like ‘sustainable’ and ‘eco-friendly’ have lost almost all impact as a result of a lack of standards. The biodynamic certification ensures that a set of standards are met that necessitate enhancements to soil health and community well-being, and that the term can’t be used deceptively,” added Muse, who enlisted help from the Demeter certifying body.
In January 2021 Arizona Muse became Aveda’s first-ever global ambassador. She also is a Greenpeace ambassador and recently collaborated with Extinction Rebellion. Muse continues to work closely with Livia Firth, founder of Eco-Age. Call me inspired. ~ Anne
To see more images from the ELLE Spain cover story, visit AOC Fashion and our original article:
Arizona Muse Moves Family to Ibiza As Ambitious Farmers in ELLE Espana September 2021
