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.