Long before upcycling had entered common parlance, Brazilian stylist Magna Coeli set up a textile firm, Refazenda, in Recife in 1990 and found a way to turn trash into treasure by collecting discarded fabric and using it to make clothes, jewellery and accessories. Refazenda’s workers use patchworks made from fabric scraps as raw materials to design new items.
Although the firm started making household fabrics, it now makes clothes and also produces natural fabrics using organic cotton, silk and linen, according to a report on the UN Environment website.Long before upcycling had entered common parlance, Brazilian stylist Magna Coeli set up a textile firm, Refazenda, in Recife in 1990 and found a way to turn trash into treasure by collecting discarded fabric and using it to make clothes, jewellery and accessories.Refazenda's workers use patchworks made from fabric scraps as raw materials to design new items.#
The company also employs local lacemakers, providing jobs to skilled artisans who had fallen out of favour because of new technologies.
Refazenda runs workshops to help consumers learn more about upcycling their own clothes and extending the life of their wardrobes. Coeli believes that it is not possible to be environmentally sustainable without being socially and financially sustainable as well.
She says it can be a challenge to promote innovative businesses like hers in developing economies where official and financial support can be lacking but she believes the demand for a different way of living is already there. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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