International guests experience unique sustainability agenda

Texbrasil (Brazilian Fashion Industry Internationalization Program), promoted by Abit in partnership with Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) held its second press trip from January 27 to 31, entitled “Sustainability in the Brazilian Fashion Industry.” Aimed at featuring the many facets of sustainable production in the country to international opinion makers, the schedule included a visit to the Canatiba factory in the city of Americana (SP), an important center of Brazilian textile production, and the indigenous community of the Ye’kuanas in Auaris (RR), which works with Minas Gerais-based label Aua to co-create collections.

The international group included Lucy Siegle (The Guardian and BBC – United Kingdom), Paula Mateus (Vogue – Portugal), Valeria Costa (Harper’s Bazaar – France) and Sergio Villamizar (Agencia Colprensa – Colombia), accompanied by Brazilian fashion editor Lilian Pacce, who recorded a special edition of her GNT Fashion program. “With this initiative, I believe that we are valuing the attributes of our production, such as authenticity, fun and creativity. We are also showing how sustainability is found in various ways in our fashion: whether from an environmental standpoint, or as an inspiration or from the social responsibility side. Without question, we felt that the guests experienced unforgettable moments,” said the President of Abit and CEO of Texbrasil, Rafael Cervone, who had also joined the group.

For the opinion makers, the trip gave them a unique experience: “it was wonderful and unforgettable to spend these days with so much information on fashion and different cultures, and so close to nature,” said Paula Mateus, editor in chief of Vogue magazine in Portugal. According to Lucy Siegle, a specialist in sustainability for the British newspaper The Guardian and a BBC host, the fusion between culture and fashion results in a rich cultural expression. “The work Aua is doing with the Ye’kuanas is an important tool of communication and diffusion of Brazilian culture and fashion,” she said. This was the first time that the indigenous community welcomed a group of visitors.

At the Canatiba factory, the group had the chance to learn about the company’s innovations in developing sustainable processes that involve everything from cleaning and purifying water to reducing consumption during manufacturing processes. There, the visitors also saw the entire process for creating jeans, starting with the fiber and going to the fabric.