This week marks the start of a very important event for the fashion scene in Brazil, “Fashion Revolution Week Rio”. This year, the event, which takes place between April 22 and April 28, addresses the theme of “strengthening fashion ecosystems”. The schedule will tackle matters such as fashion, creation, sustainability and entrepreneurism.
Fighting for fair fashion
Nowadays, Fashion Revolution Week takes place simultaneously all over the world, but it all started in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013. On April 24 of that year, the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka collapsed, leaving 1100 people dead and 2500 injured. Amid the wreckage, labels from many brands, such as Prada, Gucci, Versace and Benetton, were found. This led to the discovery of a production cycle dependent on labor analogous to slavery that was happening in the building. Behind luxury brands fueled by the insatiable desire for consumption, there were invisible workers sewing their clothes.
Soon after the incident, in an effort to prevent others, Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro created the Fashion Revolution Week movement, with the intention of questioning and recognizing those who make our clothes and in what working conditions they are produced. The movement quickly spread throughout the world, being joined by more than 100 countries across all continents, including Argentina, Peru, France, Belgium, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, United States, Australia, Brazil, and others.
The Fashion Ecosystem
The Fashion Revolution Week’s mission is to develop fashion as a force for good, both for those who produce it and those who consume it. Therefore, the movement encourages reflection about the brands we consume, based on three questions: #WhoMadeMyClothes, #WhatAreMyClothesMadeOf, and #TheColorOfWhoeverMadeMyClothes. Its goal is to challenge fast fashion’s low-cost mass production model, which has significant environmental and social impacts. The event pushes for a positive transformation, so that fashion becomes fair, safe, transparent and diverse.
This year, the movement addresses the theme “strengthening fashion ecosystems”, trying to raise awareness about sustainable ways that can strengthen the network that structures the Brazilian fashion in its most original and responsible form. To attain this, the Fashion Revolution Week will promote workshops about customization and zero-waste clothing production, exhibitions, film discussions, and more.
What’s happening in Brazil?
The movement will promote a week of fashion events related to this year’s theme across all of Brazil’s regions.
Some highlights from the schedule across the country are:
April 22:
One piece of cloth, one ecosystem: The invisible networks behind fashion.
In Vitória – Espírito Santo at 7:00 am-10:00 pm
The exhibition begins with a cloth prominently displayed in the center of the room, from where it unfolds the fashion ecosystems, representing the different phases of the production process.
These phases include the collection of raw material, highlighting those who produced the fibers of said material and all the environmental issues involved. It also addresses textile production and its many processes, as well as the often invisible work involved.
The public is also invited to participate in the experience through asking questions and reflecting on their own role in the fashion ecosystem.
April 23:
In Cianorte – Paraná at 2:00-4:00 pm
A workshop with the aim of applying the concept of zero-waste modeling to the creation of clothes. This fashion design technique plans the whole production so that 100% of the material is used, ensuring that no waste is generated.
Silvia Mara Bortoloto Damasceno Barcelos, a modeling teacher at the University of Maringá, will be leading the workshop.
April 24:
Film and discussion: Screening of the documentary “O Ponto Firme” + discussion about
In Londrina – Paraná at 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
The event, conducted by the fashion designers Bianca Ireno e Carolise Vilela, will present the movie “O Ponto Firme”, followed by a discussion moderated by the journalist and film director Laura Artigas.
The film portrays Gustavo Silvestre teaching crochet to inmates at a penitentiary. Over the following nine months, they became responsible for producing the artist’s first fashion collection.
April 25:
Crafts Day: Crochet Afternoon with Amanda Raielly + Flag Fashion Revolution 2026
In Salvador – Bahia at 2:00 – 5:30 pm
A meeting with the stylist Amanda Raielly, that blends the handmade art of crochet with a discussion about the excessive digitalization of modern life. While she teaches basic crochet stitches and how to develop this art form, Raielly will also lead a talk on how handcrafts can act as an antidote to the accelerated and massive industrial production of fashion.
Next, the new Fashion Revolution 2026 Flag will be created collaboratively through sewing, as an action in favor of the slow-fashion.
To participate, you’ll need to bring one ball of crochet yarn; fabric scraps (17x17cm squares) and basic sewing materials.
April 26:
In Campinas – São Paulo at 2:00 – 4:30 pm
with Tattiane Marques and Janaína Bianchi
The Fashion Revolution Week Campinas team invites anyone who has clothes sitting unused in their closet to participate in an Upcycling Workshop. Participants will be guided to transform their clothes into new ones through creativity. They will be taught practical customization techniques and tips for transforming what seems to have no further use into something new and very stylish.
Prior registration is required. Only 10 spots available!
April 27:
In São Paulo – São Paulo at 1:00 – 7 pm
Students from Santa Marcelina College in São Paulo will put up 36 posters and banners of the Fashion Revolution on the college’s entrance wall, with the aim of giving more visibility to the movement.
This event will be closed to college students and invited guests, but it’s worth following along on the college and Fashion Revolution Brazil’s social media channels.
April 28:
Sustainable Accessories Workshop
In Niterói – Rio de Janeiro at 2:00 – 4:00 pm
In this workshop, the fashion designer Andreia Santana will teach how to transform discarded materials into unique new fashion pieces. Participants will learn to develop new accessories, such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets and headpieces using reused fabric, trimmings, and other materials, emphasizing the original production and recycling.
The goal of this event is also to encourage a reflection on sustainability as an option in fashion and the circular economy. As always, it emphasizes the movement’s theme, which is to consider #WhoMadeMyClothes when consuming fashion and to strengthen the system behind the fashion world.
You can check the complete event schedule by clicking here!
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The article above was edited by Mariana De Oliver.
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