Eco Fashion World

It’s 4 am Sunday morning and I’m at Rio airport with four suitcases. Pedro is pushing a trolley with boxes in my direction. A heavy trolley with many boxes full of my eco accessories. We manage to pack all the stuff in between clothes, books and Natura products I can’t live without back in Europe. Maybe it’s not so practical to bring all that. My luggage overweighs with 80 kilos. A heavy load for my muscles. And my wallet. When everything is sealed and checked in, I drag myself into the airplane. I’m fast asleep even before it takes off.

A street in a poor neighbourhood in Rio. Houses are some walls with a roof. No paint, no doors, no windows. Big holes in the pavement make me stumble and almost fall. I still haven’t figured out how carioca girls handle these streets in high heels. At the sound of shooting, a strong arm pulls me into a little bar. Five guys run past, yelling and treating their guns like lassos. After a few minutes of momentary peace, we can jump on a bus and take off to the safe zone: Zona Sul, where I live.

Jeito = a way. Jeitinho = way of doing things.

The deadline for my eco jewellery collection is Monday. At least that’s what the contract says. But the pieces won’t be ready…by far. So I’m stressed. I try not to, but I am.

I made the contract six weeks ago. At that time I was already worried. Because I know that people promise but not deliver. Or deliver but very, very late. I was worried so I discussed it with a friend. He told me not to put the deadline on the day of my flight but one week earlier. That would give me space to breathe. And renegotiate if necessary. I have come to that point now. Because the work is delayed. Maybe even so delayed that I can’t take it back to Amsterdam next week. I’m in doubt on what to do. Because I like my partners, they’re like friends. And I don’t know how to behave now. Angry, pushy, friendly, understanding. I don’t know. I need jeitinho.

Not having a car in this city is a great advantage. First of all you can be less scared about being assaulted. Second, you don’t need to worry about parking spaces, maintenance and everything that comes with owning a car. Third, you can be sure to encounter a lot of adventure while taking public transport or other means of getting around.

The other day a clown stepped into the bus entertaining all the passengers with his tricks, making some money in the process. Buses themselves are a real adrenaline booster since the drivers here use Rio’s streets as Formula 1 racing tracks. The joy I used to get from driving too fast is now being satisfied by the speed of the buses that take me all over town. But there is more....

Rio de Janeiro

Imagine youíre having fun being a fashion journalist. Travelling around the world, staying in amazing cities, seeing the latest in fashion. Maybe you sometimes get a bit bored, running around with your designer suitcase from hotel to hotel, from catwalk to catwalk, from party to party.

Then you should come to Rio for something different. Here we await you with a mini van without airco. Not at night but at ten oíclock in the morning on a Saturday. We take you from Hotel Gloria to Santa Cruz, one hour out of town. Youíre not travelling business class but are sitting on the lap of the French consul in Rio because of lack of space. The highway out of town shows you a part of the city without any glamour. Slums, open sewage, graffiti and lots of dirt are a welcome distraction from the glossy environments you know. A terrible smell accompanies you part of your journey.

Five guys in their twenties. Friends, surfers, skateboarders and passionate about sustainable design. They started their own incubator company two years ago and developed a great material called pupunha, made of a tree that grows here in Brazil. Since they like skate boarding, they designed an eco skateboard that won the IF Design award in 2005. Then they developed another material called bananaplac which they created with poor inland communities. They use the fibre that is normally wasted after the trees have born fruit and mix it with natural glue. This is an extra source of income for the farmers and their families. The placs are perfect for photo frames, lamps and notebooks that have already become my favourites.

Coca Cola wanted to work with them. Osklen wanted to work with them. And now they’re here during Rio Fashion Week. With a library lounge of amazing eco materials displayed on the walls. Each material with its own story and challenging possibilities to create super products. My guys are here, enjoying the free drinks in ‘their’ lounge, dancing to the samba house tunes and chatting with potential clients.

The name of this very cool company is Fibra . And I’m a big fan.

I’m in Asuncion and I’m cold.

For those of you who don’t know Asuncion, it’s the capital of Paraguay. Paraguay is a small country without all those things that make Brazil so attractive. Like beach. And samba. And the Amazon. But to be honest, Paraguay has other strengths.

Like the company I’m visiting here: they make organic cotton and have created a value chain from farmer to consumer in one country. The founder lobbied to change the laws in the country so she could start growing organic cotton. Lives of farmers changed and parts of the country became free of pesticides. The company started working with manufacturers to develop clothing. Now they sell in several shops as well as in their own store in Asuncion. A revolutionairy act of entrepreneurship and an example for others.

Ten o'clock in the morning. Prince and me in his hybrid 4x4 driving through pulsating jungle. The Christ quase embraces us when we pass her. Further up high with a view of the city. The beaches as white stripes between the calm blue of the ocean and the chaos of city buildings. The lake as a shiny spot amongst traffic. ‘If the weather is clear, you can see Paradise Island', Prince says. We arrive at his castle, an old monastery that turned hotel. 'With five million stars, because you can see the sky through the roof'. Soon they will start renovation here. His idea is to make the village into an eco destination. With an international research center on sustainability. With fully self-servicing houses including solar energy and waste recycling systems. And with more high tech sustainability that needs to make this place an example in the world. I pinch myself in the cheek: Will it be here that I'll build my dreamhouse?'