In the city of Alto Hospício, on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert, in Chile, a mountain made up of more than 59 thousand tons of clothing, including shoes, t-shirts, coats, dresses and other clothing, can now be seen from space. The images revealed via satellite could point to another one of those mythical Latin American film scenarios, but, in reality, it is a social and environmental warning that shows the dangers of the unrestrained consumption (and production) of items based on fashion trends.
With the aim of raising awareness and bringing to light the real dimension of this problem for different audiences, the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) ‘Desierto Vestido’, in partnership with Fashion Revolution and Instituto Febre, and produced by Sugarcane Filmes, promote ‘Atacama Fashion Week’. All creative conception and development of the project is carried out by Artplan.
In the fashion world, this problem is already known, but nothing very effective is done by the main people involved. Therefore, the initiative brings what the fashionista universe always pays close attention to: an event in the style of the main fashion weeks that take place in Paris, Milan, São Paulo and London. Atacama Fashion Week featured a fashion show in the middle of the Atacama landfill, with models wearing looks made by producers from clothes dumped at the site. Along with the action on the catwalk, the project has a photographic editorial signed by Mauricio Nahas, an award-winning photographer with over 30 years of experience.
According to the spokesperson for Desierto Vestido, an NGO that, historically, has tried to find this local solution, the idea of the project is not to put pressure on a specific sector. It is calling for joint forces based on public-private involvement through an artistic manifesto.
“We are here every day of the year, in this difficult fight. And, day after day, we see the problem getting worse. We needed to promote something big to draw the attention of all those involved in the problem so we could discuss a solution. Atacama can no longer wait. At the same time that we can see a photo in space, the clothing cemetery is a problem that is still very silent. These are batches of low-quality or damaged pieces, inherited from the ‘fast fashion’ market in the United States, Europe and Asia. Most pieces take up to 200 years to disintegrate. The emergency is climate-related, too,” highlights Ángela Astudillo, co-founder of Desierto Vestido, a non-profit organization dedicated to textile recycling.
The parade will be available on official site of the event, with comments from fashion, behavior and sustainability influencers. This same environment will host important and updated data about the cause, as well as ways for the general population to collaborate. The content will bring codes from the fashion world as a way of attracting the attention of different sectors of society. The campaign will be present in South America, the USA and Europe.
“We decided to bring something that the fashion world is proud of, a beautiful fashion show, to a place that is a shame for fashion and humanity as a whole: a dump of clothes in the middle of a treasure of our planet. Transforming Atacama into a trendsetter for the circular economy means looking at the consumption of the future. Amid the models, catwalks and flashbulbs, there is a powerful speech about environmental and public health emergencies. Destroying the planet needs to go out of fashion”, comment CCOs Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil and Marcello Noronha, from Artplan.
To avoid an increase of 1.5ºC and a worsening of the climate crisis, the fashion sector will have to reduce its emissions by half by 2030, according to information published on the website of the Febre institute, an organization focused on climate justice for women in fashion. and supporter of the project. The initiative also shines a spotlight on a recurring problem in the Atacama Desert: clandestine burnings are carried out on amounts of clothing, which are eventually also buried there.
“Systemic change in the fashion industry is crucial, and as citizens, we all have a role to play. From brands, we want accountability and robust commitments. From governments, the mission is to demand public policies and inspections. With civil society, our role is to disseminate information and drive mobilization actions”, highlights Fernanda Simon, executive director of Fashion Revolution Brasil, a Brazilian organization of the largest fashion activist movement in the world.
The co-founder of Instituto Febre, a social organization that works with socio-environmental justice at the intersection of climate, gender and fashion, commented on the fashion sector.
“Even with all its impacts, the fashion sector is not included with its due responsibility on the political agenda when it comes to addressing the climate crisis,” said Eloisa Artuso.
The director and executive producer of Sugarcane Filmes highlighted the experience of working on a project like this.
“It was an incredible opportunity for Sugar to collaborate on a project as relevant, special and transformative as this, which goes beyond the fashion universe and uses audiovisual as a stage to raise global awareness about inappropriate clothing disposal. It’s a gift when we get projects where we invest our talent, creativity and still transmit a powerful message”, shares Igor Selingarde.
Check out the video of the parade.
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