Meet the Women Changing the World Through Fibre Science

The 2021 theme for International Women’s Day is Choose to Challenge—a call to action to help forge a gender-equal world, celebrate women’s achievements and take action for equality.

This year, Country Road is shining a light on three inspirational women who are leading the way in fibre science at Oritain.

Dedicated to transparency, Oritain takes a scientific approach to determine where the fibre in a garment originates. This allows us to scientifically trace our wool and cotton fibres back to Australian farms that support better land management.

Country Road has proudly partnered with Oritain on its Verified Australian fibre collections since 2019, with a team led by Dr. Katherine Jones, Kaho Hirafune and Dr. Devonia Kruimer.

Here, we speak to the group about fibre science, career paths and choosing to challenge gender equality in a male-dominated industry.

Dr. Katherine Jones
Chief Product Officer

Can you begin by describing your role at Oritain?

“I am Chief Product Officer at Oritain, which means I'm in charge of overseeing and managing our chemical fingerprinting product and audit delivery, and that's across all of our different partners and products that we work with...

For Country Road, that means ensuring the chemical fingerprints for Australian wool and cotton are fully developed, tested, and updated on a regular basis. I also review and sign off on the product auditing for Country Road.”

What led you to pursue a career in science?

“I've always been very curious about the natural world and how it works, and definitely from an environmental side. I've always really liked the environment and how humans interact with [it]. I've been very passionate about how to use that to make a difference in our world…

Something that really drives me is I'm amazed at how we've created innovations and inventions and how we can improve our world. I just knew that was something I wanted to pursue a career in.”

Can you explain what a chemical fingerprint is?

“Every living thing, whether it be a plant, animal or human, absorbs the chemistry of its environment. These really exact specifications like soil chemistry, nutrients, and different elements in the environment are captured in the food that we eat and also in things like plants…

We've gathered samples from the major cotton and wool producing areas all over the world, and tested those samples to develop chemical fingerprints. We can then use those fingerprints to determine a fibre's origin.”

Why is scientific verification important?

“It's not just about having a claim on a label. It’s about going through the rigorousness of testing and backing up these claims with scientific testing. You want to ensure that traceability is something that happens from start to finish...I hope scientific testing is something that becomes [industry] standard, but Country Road is definitely a forerunner in that.”

What does 'Choose to Challenge' mean to you?

“I choose to challenge what society thinks a scientist looks like or what a scientist does, and that science is actually a means to create change…

I'm a woman, I'm a mother and I've got a lot of other passions besides science, but how I bridge those all together in my career is what makes me happy.”

Have you experienced gender bias or inequality in the field of science more broadly?

“Unfortunately there's still a little bit of old fashioned sexism out there, but I think the real issue is a lack of diversity. And that's particularly at the top with leaders and innovators, and it all comes back to bias…

I choose to challenge by not relinquishing my passion for what I do, and it's certainly been an uphill battle with having a young family. I think to get through that is just about having a strong support system from peers and also having a company that supports my passions and goals.”

Kaho Hirafune
Product Scientist

Can you explain your background in science?

“I studied forensic analytical science and pharmacology at uni. After graduating, I became a scientist at Oritain, where I use some of the same forensic and chemistry techniques that I learned at uni and apply them to commercial problems. That's basically what I do as a scientist at Oritain.”

What led you to pursue a career in science?

“I've always been fascinated with how and why things work the way they do. People always said that I was a really curious child. I've been wanting to study forensic science since I was 12 and so, the minute I could apply to uni, I chose forensics.”

What does a typical day in your role look like?

“I'm typically the first one to see and assess data that comes back from the labs. I do quality control and basically make sure that all the data is up to our standard. For Country Road, this means auditing the products and making sure they are Australian cotton and Merino."

How do you verify the origin of Country Road Australian Merino or cotton?

“It all begins with collecting genuine Australian cotton and Australian Merino directly from farms. The genuine fibre gets tested and collated to create a unique chemical fingerprint—so there’s a fingerprint for Australian cotton and a fingerprint for Australian Merino that'll look different from every other country. Then we test a Country Road sample against this fingerprint—if it's a match, then it's from Australia essentially. We test at every stage of the garment making process, so we get the yarn, the fabric and the finished product.”

What does 'Choose to Challenge' mean to you?

“For me, choosing to challenge is about a woman being visible and making waves in the science community and in the general public. When you think of a scientist, you can think of men and women—being visible is a big part of that.”

What’s your message for young women looking to enter science?

“Follow your passion, broaden your horizons. What you think is science is just a small part of what science is. There’s something for everyone and if you can dream it, you can do it.”

Dr. Devonia Kruimer
Science Lead

Can you tell us about your role at Oritain?

“I'm the Science Lead at Oritain which means that I'm responsible for the delivery of our fit-for-purpose and validated Oritain maps and audit reports from the science team. I ensure that all the work is reviewed and signed off by our product experts within the team, and the reports go to our sales team for delivery to the client.”

What is the benefit of fashion brands working with Oritain?

“We can verify sustainable practices for brands like Country Road and can ensure that the quality of the products are there. If we know where a fibre comes from, we know it comes from a high quality producer and we can verify this…

The other very obvious benefit of using Oritain is that both the client and the consumer knows where something comes from. They can be certain that what they wear is ethically okay, for example.”

What’s your message for young women looking to enter science?

“Do what you like, be curious and always be stubborn. If they say you can't do it, you can.”

• Learn more about our work with Oritain