Creating beauty from waste // Scrap Collection 2017
When we first visited Creamos Futuros, we toured the project and heard the history of Safe Passage which led to the inception of Creamos. We passed through the different classrooms, jewelry shop, art therapy rooms and finally were lead to the back door which had an overview of the Guatemala City dump. The smell burnt our eyes and seeing the layers and layers of waste baking under the Guatemalan sun was overwhelming. But what kept catching our eye was the visible about of clothing scattered throughout the piles of trash. Americans will throw out about 81 pounds of clothing every year, which amounts to about 26 billion pounds of clothing every year will end up in landfills. This is a leading cause of why the apparel industry is the #1 polluter in the world.
Photo Credit: Care + Co // Kelsey Rae Photography
After completing 2 large collections for Spring/Summer of this past year, we were overwhelmed with the amount of scraps of fabric we had left over. Usually these pieces would be thrown away, but we saw an opportunity to create something beautiful with the pieces of artisan-crafted fabrics. We are very excited to launch our scrap collection because it fulfills the three main pillars of our company:
Respect for the Makers
Our main priority is to pay dignified wages to the makers we work with in Guatemala. This year we focused strongly on developing our partnership with Creamos. Since our first meeting, Creamos has been a crucial part of Casa Flor. Averie serves as the coordinator of the sewing program and Rachel designs their jewelry and sewing products. The Scrap Collection provides two opportunities for the women who are a part of Creamos:
1. Each purchase provides an opportunity for fairly paid work and to diversify the skill set of the women participating in the sewing program.
2. When you purchase the 1 for 1 Tote Bag, Casa Flor Designs will donate a tote bag full of fresh produce in partnership with Garden of Hope, to a woman participating in Creamos.
What we appreciate about Creamos, is that they have a holistic approach to assisting the women which goes beyond vocational training. Each week the women are invited to participate in a cooking class where they learn to make healthy, low budget meals for their families. With our 1 to 1 Tote Bag, we aim to support a healthy diet for the Women and their families!
Respect for Guatemala
Our partnership with Creamos hits a deeper mission than just vocational training for women. Not only do we want to honor the indigenous weavers of Guatemala, we also want to create an impact with the communities living in Zone 3 of Guatemala City. These communities are directly impacted by the pollution created by the fast fashion industry, and this collection represents our effort to reduce our waste as apparel producers.
Respect for the Customer
We saw an opportunity in our Scrap Collection to also provide a lower price item to all our customers who love our textiles and want to purchase ethically, no matter their personal budget. Our goal is to create ethical clothing that is more accessible to a larger customer base, which begins with this scrap collection. Also with the holiday season approaching we saw an opportunity to create gift options that go against the highly consumptive season. These gifts provide jobs and give back to the community of Zone 3.