By Karla Ron Arévalo

Recycling may seem tedious to some, but over millennia nature has perfected transforming waste into something useful. Therefore, this technique of reusing what no longer serves the purpose for which it was created, is a method that can give us many benefits.

Seeing beyond is a gift that can be developed and that Alejandro Raúl Pantin Gil possesses by nature. This sculptor and architect has managed to unite recycling with his artistic vision, seeing in the trash of others, the harmony of biological form, or the beauty in everyday color.

Pantin Gil recycles forgotten books, either due to their obsolete or disused content, and creates art with them. This Venezuelan artist, residing in Spain, is a lover of books, and has managed to see in them an inexhaustible source of inspiration, on which he relies to create sculptures inspired by natural forms.

His creative process begins with the collection of old magazines, newspapers, catalogues, yellow pages, tourist guides and/or dusty and incomplete books, which he subsequently restores, and gives them a new life, in an avant-garde artistic form, where he brings together emotions in the interior of those spaces where they are exhibited again.

This inveterate reader knows the aesthetics of books, and it is in their form where he gets inspiration to create new artistic proposals with those elements, which for others, are contamination or hindrance. Alejandro has that vision of the artist that he sees in a physical material: lines, shapes, colors, contours, which after hard work he transforms into a work of art.

The technique that Pantin Gil uses is known as book-sculpture, and is based on the collection and subsequent recycling of disused copies, to create three-dimensional sculptures. These works, which he shapes in his studio, can recreate the silhouette of a woman, animals, architectural forms, or any other structure that the same book used has inspired him.

All the sculptures of this artist are sculpted by hand using the technique of carving and topographical cuts in these obsolete books, which make lines between the letters and images of these forgotten copies, the result of which makes them once again gain a place of relevance in those spaces where they are exhibited.

Alejandro Pantin's work has been recognized internationally, as evidenced by the exhibition of the work "Mask", in the 58th edition of the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture, held at Casa de Vacas, in El Retiro Park, in Madrid, last March. Work that received praise from all attendees and critics at the exhibition and even from Queen Sofía herself.

If you want to know more about his work you can visit his website https://alejandrosbookart.com/

All photos courtesy of Alejandro Pantin Gil's website.

By Victoria Preste

In Punta del Este, from March 30 to April 3, the only Latin American sustainable fashion week took place. Planned months in advance, Universo MOLA Fashion Week (UMFW) demonstrated that in Latin America we should also talk about fashion. It was exhibited by Universo MOLA, directed and organized by the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation.

Fashion and Sustainability, hand in hand, were the topics covered through 7 workshops and 24 talks. There was a large exhibition and 2 fashion shows in which 15 sustainable fashion brands were presented. All this took place at Viña Edén and BoConcept and the Awa Boutique and Jean Clevers hotels.

The event had the participation of people from all over Latin America, such as models, designers and entrepreneurs, who showed their work and creativity, demonstrating that Latin America has something to say about sustainability and fashion. Among them, we found Valentina Suárez, director of the Universo MOLA program, and Doris Helena Rojas, director of the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation, who gave a talk about the Foundation.

In addition, the presence of important figures from the world of the fashion industry could be seen such as José Forteza, Senior Editor of Vogue México; Cata Droguett, director of Sustainable Women Chile; Andrea Marchesi, Director of IED Barcelona, Fedra Mauticci, from Back in Fashion and Giusy Bettoni, the CEO and Founder of C.L.A.S.S. of Milan, among others.

On this occasion, we also sought to disseminate the culture of the different regions of Latin America, such as art and local gastronomy. The main purpose was to give voice and visibility to the work of various Latin American brands and designers, which do not usually have notoriety. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that the center of fashion and culture is not in Europe, but that there are artisans and designers with great talent in Latin America and they should be recognized for their sustainable creations, fair to the environment and human labor. .

The participation and origins in the event were varied. People and brands from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay participated in UMFW. They all showed products made with sustainable and ecological materials.

Among the Uruguayan brands, the standout product was merino wool. In addition, various garments were seen with natural dyeing, achieved by flowers and plants, as well as yerba mate and grape pomace. On the other hand, sea waste looked recycled in the form of suits made with fishing nets and plastics, and waterproof jackets made from recycled umbrella fabric were also seen.

In conclusion, UMFW was an event rich in talks, samples and quality information, making it clear that it is possible to achieve great things when different countries come together for a common cause. In addition, the event featured makeup talks and talks about trends for the coming years, which lets us know that slow fashion is taking hold. The parade also had a wide repertoire of models of different sizes, since fashion is for everyone.

By Carolina Ortiz Jerez

On August 19, MOLA Fashion Day Cali was successfully held, an event organized by Universo MOLA, a program belonging to the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation, together with the Green Chamber of Commerce of Colombia.

MOLA Fashion Day Cali brought together 17 Colombian sustainable fashion brands, all of them awarded scholarships by the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation, in order to prepare a delegation that will be present at MOLA Fashion Week 2023, the great sustainable fashion event in Latin America, which It will be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from March 27 to 31.

According to what was stated by Valentina Suárez, director of the Universo MOLA program, MOLA Fashion Day is a one-day event, in which different actors from the Latin American fashion world participate in an intense day of training, whose purpose is to improve the practices and actions of fashion brands linked to sustainability.

Both the brands, companies and artisans that participated in this day were selected based on certain criteria, including: the circular economy, the recovery of material and/or intangible heritage, as well as assertive and transparent communication. , among other requirements.

During the training day, the brands participated in a series of modules in which topics such as: business models, circular economy, sustainability indicators, communication and processes of participation in events were addressed.

For the occasion, there was the participation of a panel of experts composed of Valentina Suárez, director of Universo MOLA; Alejandra Noreña, creator and director of Habitar Academy; Mauricio Cárdenas, co-founder and president of the board of directors of the Green Chamber of Commerce of Latin America, and Lillyana Mejía, business sustainability consultant, who were in charge of these modules.

All the brands that attended this training day were awarded scholarships by the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation, with half scholarships and full scholarships, in order to facilitate their participation in the MOLA Fashion Week 2023, in Punta del Este.

Incline Leather obtained a full scholarship for the runway, Aude, Garces Bottier and Sientochenta were awarded with full scholarships for the gallery and the brands Wondernut, Anarí, Xzae, Triangle, Arte y Sano, Huella de Fuego, Acquerello, Mariposas en Verano, Anabella, Ecologie , Onda Sostenible and Amor a Segunda Vista, were awarded half scholarships.

In order to continue the selection of the brands that will participate in MOLA Fashion Week 2023 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Universo MOLA reported that applications are open for the next MOLA Fashion Day, which will take place in Buenos Aires, on September 28 and in Santiago de Chile, on October 6.

Universo MOLA (program of the Entre Soles y Lunas Foundation) is the Sustainable Latin American International Fashion Movement that promotes the creation of networks, the development and recognition of designers, brands and producers of value in the fashion chain and the textile industry.