Atacama Fashion Week - Turning Trash into Fashion

In the town of Alto Hospicio, in Chile's Atacama Desert, a mountain of more than 59,000 tons of clothing, including shoes, T-shirts, jackets, dresses, and other garments, can now be seen from space. The images revealed via satellite could refer to one of those mythical Latin American movie scenes, but in reality, they are a social and environmental warning highlighting the dangers of unbridled consumption (and production) of items for fashion trends. To raise awareness and show the true extent of this problem to different audiences, NGO Desierto Vestido, in partnership with Fashion Revolution and Instituto Febre, and production of Sugarcane Filmes, is promoting Atacama Fashion Week. Artplan - one of the largest Brazilian agencies with 100% national capital - conceived, designed, and developed the entire project.

The fashion world is aware of this problem, but the key stakeholders are not taking effective action. That's why the initiative is giving the fashion world what it always wants: an event modeled on the major fashion weeks held in Paris, Milan, São Paulo, and London. Atacama Fashion Week will feature a fashion show in the middle of the Atacama garbage dump, with models wearing looks made by fashion designers from garments dumped at the site. In addition to the runway action, the project will feature a photo editorial signed by Mauricio Nahas, an award-winning photographer with a career of over 30 years.

According to the spokeswoman of Desierto Vestido, an NGO that has historically tried to find this local solution, the idea of the project is not about singling out any one sector. We are calling for a united front where public and private sectors work together through an artistic manifesto. "We are here every day of the year, in this difficult struggle. And we see the problem getting worse by the day. We needed to do something big to draw the attention of all those involved in the problem so that we could discuss a solution. Atacama can't wait any longer," says Ángela Astudillo, co-founder of Desierto Vestido, a non-profit organization dedicated to textile recycling.

"Even though we can see it from space, the garment graveyard still a silent crisis. It is a huge pile of low-quality or damaged garments inherited from the fast-fashion market in the United States, Europe and Asia. Most garments take up to 200 years to decompose. The emergency is also climate-related," adds Astudillo.

The show will be streamed on the event's official website (www.atacamafashionweek.com), featuring influencers' commentary on fashion, behavior, and sustainability. The same environment will host important and up-to-date data on the cause and opportunities for the general public to get involved. The content will include codes from the fashion world to attract the attention of different sectors of society. Also, the campaign will be present in South America, USA and Europe.

"We decided to bring a hallmark of fashion - a beautiful show - to a place that is a disgrace to fashion and humanity: a garbage dump in the middle of a planetary treasure. Turning Atacama into a trend show for the circular economy envisions the consumption of the future. Amidst the models, catwalks, and flashbulbs, there is a powerful discourse of environmental and public health emergency. Destroying the planet must go out of style," commented Artplan CCOs Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil and Marcello Noronha.

The fashion industry must cut its emissions in half by 2030 to avoid a global temperature rise of 1.5 ºC and the worsening of the climate crisis, according to information published on the website of the Febre Institute, a climate justice organization for women in fashion and supporter of the project. The initiative also shines a spotlight on a recurring problem in the Atacama Desert: the clandestine burning of large amounts of clothing, which is then buried on site.

"Systemic change in the fashion industry is critical, and as citizens we all have a role to play. From brands, we want accountability and robust commitments. From governments, we need to demand public policies and oversight. With civil society, our role is to disseminate information and drive mobilization actions," says Fernanda Simon, Executive Director of Fashion Revolution Brasil - the Brazilian organization of the largest fashion activist movement in the world.

"Despite all its impacts, the fashion sector is not held duly accountable on the political agenda when it comes to addressing the climate crisis," adds Eloisa Artuso, director of Instituto Febre, a social organization that works for socio-environmental justice at the intersection of climate, gender, and fashion.

"It was an incredible opportunity for Sugar to work on a project as relevant, unique and transformative as this one, which transcends the world of fashion and uses audiovisuals as a stage to raise global awareness about the wasteful dumping of clothing. It's a privilege when we get projects that allow us to take risks with our talent and creativity and still deliver a powerful message," says Igor Selingarde, Director and Executive Producer at Sugarcane Filmes.