Eco Fashion World

In a small workshop, in a small town dwarfed by its giant neighbour São Paulo, four women sit at sewing machines. Baby Ana Clara lies happily on a play mat in the corner and conversation is interrupted only by the whir of sewing machines. The atmosphere in the room is contented yet busy and the group clearly get things done: the huge piles of completed t-shirts are testament to this.

T-shirt production is the mainstay for the group, producing for various charities, council groups and Ecotece, the sustainable fashion hub that helped get the group up and running in 2009. Retece, as the group is known, offers women in the community of Santo André the chance to learn about creating garments in the most sustainable way. Hence the t-shirt scraps become colourful jewellery and small bags.

To help support the group, Ecotece has launched a project called Fashion + Sustainability = ? or F + S = ?, which aims to encourage people to think what fashion could be like if sustainability was taken into account, promoting the message that this is the future.

The project will start with a t-shirt competition asking people to submit designs about what they think F + S = ? represents. The winning design from the F + S = ? design contest will be made by the Retece women and the proceeds raised by the sale of t-shirts will go towards maintaining the Retece Women's group, providing them with continued employment and a chance to make future plans. It will also go towards funding an office space for the Ecotece group. A place where they can build up resources and run courses about sustainability and the future of the fashion industry.

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