This year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which concluded this past weekend, had one of the most fashion-minded programming in its 25-year history. The short films category, in particular, proved to be one stylish affair: There was the buzzy Madonna Confessions II film to behold, for starters, which saw the Queen of Pop debut six new songs while wearing custom Dolce & Gabbana looks.

But there were two other standout shorts that provided a different kind of fashion experience—ones that aimed to provide a more hopeful and optimistic future for the fashion industry.

Oliver Halfin’s Farm to Fashion—starring actor Isabella Rossellini, and designers Donna Karan and Mimi Prober—imagined what a sustainable fashion ecosystem could look like using sheep’s wool; “Couture to the Max,” by Dori Berinstein, also followed the thrilling ascent of 9-year-old fashion prodigy Max Alexander, and pondered what the next generation of fashion talent can look like.

Missed seeing these fashion films for yourself? Read Vogue’s recap of the standout screenings below.

Farm to Fashion

Can fashion look to sheep to envision a more sustainable fashion future? The new short film Farm to Fashion, made in partnership with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, argues that the answer is a resounding yes.

In director Oliver Halfin’s charming short, executive produced by Susan Easton and legendary fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone, the film follows an intriguing textile journey: It traces how sustainable sheep’s wool, sourced from an upstate New York farm, can end up on the high-fashion runways in Manhattan—and how that production process may not be nearly as challenging, expensive, or laborious as one may think. “Farm to Fashion is a powerful story that returns to fashion's roots and natural resources, as the industry reimagines itself for the future,” says Halfin.

It’s no secret that fashion holds a large impact on the environment—especially global carbon emissions and water waste—so “Farm to Fashion” ponders what an industry could look like if it valued nature-based solutions, such as utilizing natural agricultural methods (such as harvesting sheep’s wool).

The film centers on industry heavyweights such as Isabella Rossellini, who owns the Mama Farm upstate—a destination that not only ethically sources and distributes sheep’s wool, but also encourages students or visitors to learn how to harvest and create using the natural fiber (which is known for its moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating properties).

Designers such as Donna Karan (founder of Urban Zen) and Mimi Prober are two industry veterans who go on to create striking garments with such sheep’s wools in the film, proving that, whether emerging or established, designers all have a duty to think mindfully about the fabrics they use. “Farm to Fashion was a collaboration that I was so happy to be a part of, and one that I will continue to support,” Karan tells Vogue. “Connecting, creating, communicating change has been the foundation of Urban Zen. Past, present, and future—we are all one.”

Couture to the Max

In Couture to the Max, meanwhile, a new short from director Dori Berinstein, the documentary spotlights what the next class of fashion designers is already achieving—and how they, too, are already thinking intentionally about their creations.

9-year-old clothing designer Max Alexander, who has since gained a fandom on TikTok, began finessing his technical skills early on: He taught himself how to create his theatrical and often-upcycled designs at just 4-years-old. “The first thing I made was a dress for my sister,” Alexander tells Vogue. “It was very exciting, and I’m very grateful that I got to have my documentary at Tribeca. I want people to know that anything can be a dress, and it doesn’t have to be new things.”

The film follows Alexander as he prepares to debut a new collection, juggling his budding fashion career against school and other normal 9-year-old things. “My life is not normal, but pretty normal for a kid who does fashion,” says Alexander. “I do some fashion designs in the mornings sometimes and then go to school, do more fashion at night (sometimes), also go on the weekends for events and have fun in the summer.”

That sense of drive and determination is often seen in the next rising class of fashion: Just see many of the young emerging designers part of this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. For Alexander, though, thinking of ways to up-cycle or use repurposed materials is inherent to his design process. “[I’m inspired by] the environment around me,” says Alexander. “I look around me and think, ‘That could be a dress.’ Rebirth inspires me, like an old story to a new one. Designs just come to me.”

Though Alexander still has plenty of time to achieve anything else on his bucket list, he says he still has many dreams to fulfill—this is only the beginning of his plans to reinvent the fashion world and to introduce more eco-minded frocks into the landscape. “I would like to show at New York Fashion Week,” he hints. Keep your eye on next season’s fashion calendar.