Collab: Aranza Eyharchet student of Communication and Media, Technical University Degree in Digital Journalism. Analyst in food services. Enthusiast of research and the art of writing.
Interview with: ChĆŗcara Sustainable Design Clothing.
The textile industry, through its production processes, is responsible for contaminating 20% of the world's freshwater. According to data provided by the UN (United Nations), clothing and footwear production accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions, and producing a pair of jeans requires 7,500 liters of water, while making a cotton T-shirt uses approximately 2,700 liters of water. Currently, only 1% of clothing is properly recycled, and around 73% is either burned or ends up in the trash, leading to another issue: approximately ninety-two million tons of textiles are discarded each year.
These concerns about the problem led to the creation of a beautiful project: LucĆa Silva is a young entrepreneur from Mar del Plata. She is the creator of the brand ChĆŗcara, an initiative that aims to redesign new garments from unused textile materials, thus ending the harmful current consumer cycle of buying, using, discarding, and buying again #ForABetterWorld. As Leandro Gabilondo wrote: "Beauty is also a question we would never have asked ourselves"
In 2015, LucĆa recounted that she decided to start ChĆŗcara because she felt that in Mar del Plata, like herself, there were many people who couldnāt find what they were looking for: "I had started studying tailoring; I always felt more like a seamstress than a designer, and I couldnāt find clothing that I liked. It seemed too expensive for the quality and materials it had, so I began to research the fashion industry and production. It was when I became aware of how polluting and harmful it is that I decided to start ChĆŗcara to reverse the situation or, at least, contribute my small part to making things better than they were being done". Although she had the opportunity to work with organic fabrics, such as organic cotton, linen, or hemp, she decided to focus on textile waste because one of the major issues in the fashion industry is that garments have a very short lifespan and are discarded before they lose their usefulness.
Most of the materials she uses are donated by people. She recounts that when she started, it was just friends and family who would sort and donate what was useful. Nowadays, many people in the city contact her through social media to donate jeans or flat fabrics. For the past three years, she has been working consistently with the pre-consumption line, where she uses bags of scraps from various brands (post-industrial waste) and creates new fabric by joining the pieces together.
How do they classify the processes? The brand currently has two lines. On one hand, there is the post-consumption line, which focuses on recovering garments that, although they have been used, still have useful life left. These are garments that one keeps because they are in good condition but are no longer used due to a change in trend or fashion "The idea is to redesign them and reuse the textile material to make accessories. Everything that is post-consumption I use for accessories, not for clothing".On the other hand, the pre-consumption line aims to recover textile waste from the industry, including scraps from the cutting process of other brands in the city or end-of-roll remnants. These are leftover pieces of a few meters from previous seasons that will not be used in the next season to avoid repeating colors, textures, or prints. The diligent entrepreneur highlights that: "There is still no company in Mar del Plata that works on corporate social responsibility, so the task of collecting textile waste is quite challenging. The fabrics we use from other Mar del Plata brands are obtained through contacts or because I find out about them and go to collect them. As for end-of-roll remnants, they are generally sold at a very low price". Each of the lines she works with has a different process for garment assembly.
Regarding the overall garment production times, she stated: "It takes much more time compared to a traditional garment because there are several preliminary steps" This is because she often needs to wash the fabrics before sewing them and undergo a cleaning, selection, and assembly process of the material. For the creation of particular garments that are exclusive, she explained that they take more time because "each design is customized and works on a specific garment, so each design takes its time as it is a fairly unique and artisanal job"
For ChĆŗcara, the satisfaction of its consumers is evident. As she stated: "The publicās response is super positive; I have always received good feedback. I believe that people are consuming in a slightly more responsible way, and they express their satisfaction to companies with responsible production" The brand has made its way among consumers, not only because of the distinctive designs it offers but also because it provides a creative alternative in the current economic and environmental landscape. With this intention, the brand participates in Tienda RaĆz, a collective of sustainable entrepreneurs in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It is a path of growth and understanding; perseverance has allowed her to grow as an entrepreneur, learning along the way about production, management, finance, networks, and marketing. However, she understands that the greatest lesson is developing patience regarding how others value what she does. "I realized that I cannot expect everyone to become aware at the same time and in the same way because it doesnāt happen, and one gets very frustrated". She now accepts that everyone has their own timing to process information, generate awareness, and make changes "I know the message will reach those who need to hear it; in the meantime, we continue trying to raise awareness and reach more people"
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