V času hitre mode, ko je na policah trgovcev vsakih nekaj tednov na voljo več tisoč kosov novih oblačil, in se vsako sekundo na smetiščih po svetu odloži ali pa zažge en tovornjak, poln oblačil, se prihodnost brez zavrženih oblačil sliši neverjetno. Zato smo se mladi (in stari) iz mladinskega centra Kotlovnica udeležili mladinske izmenjave, da izvemo, kaj lahko naredimo, da do takšne prihodnosti zares pride.

Konec letošnjega oktobra smo odpotovali v italijanski Fuscaldo, kjer je organizatorka Associazione Paolab na mladinski izmenjavi »Slow Fashion Week« gostila šest organizacij iz Evrope in širše. V desetih dneh učenja drug od drugega smo pripravili različne delavnice in predstavitve s področja počasne in hitre mode ter s pomočjo na novo pridobljenih praktičnih znanj izdelali trajnostne kose oblačil.

Spoznali smo, da živimo v času hitre mode, kjer nas blagovne znamke ves čas zasipajo z novimi trendi ter oblačili slabe kvalitete, stanje pa je močno poslabšala možnost nakupovanja preko spleta. Poučili smo se, s kakšnimi sporočili nas blagovne znamke hitre mode poskušajo zavesti, saj rade omenjajo, da je proizvodnja njihovih oblačil zelena ter da pri proizvodnji uporabljajo organski bombaž in reciklirano plastiko. Zanašajo se na neznanje potrošnikov, ki ne vedo, da je delež proizvedenega organskega bombaža in plastike, ki se jo da reciklirati, izredno majhen.

Da pa ne bi bilo vse tako črno, smo spoznali še drugo plat – počasno modo, glavno temo naše izmenjave. Izdelki, ki spadajo v to kategorijo, so narejeni iz lokalnih materialov ali s strani lokalnih ustvarjalcev, a so zato pogosto precej dražji in si jih težje privoščimo. Zato smo udeleženci skupaj ustvarili seznam, ki nam bo pomagal ustvariti prihodnost z manj zavrženimi oblačili. Priporočamo, da namesto nakupa novih oblačil obiščete trgovino, kjer prodajajo rabljena oblačila, izmenjevalnico oblačil ali pa kar omaro vaše sorodnice, prijateljice … Če želite oblačila kupiti, preverite, od kod so materiali, ki oblačila sestavljajo, in kje so bila oblačila proizvedena, na splošno pa nakupujte samo tiste kose, ki jih boste uporabljali. V notranjosti oblačil poiščite listek z informacijami glede sestave materialov, saj je bolje da izberete oblačila iz naravnih materialov, ki dihajo. Držite se tudi navodil glede pranja oblačil, saj jim boste tako podaljšali življenjsko dobo. Za tiste, ki ste vešči ročnih spretnosti ali pa bi se jih radi naučili, priporočamo, da stara oblačila predelate v nova, jih uporabite za kakšen drug namen ali pa jih popravite, če so strgana. Vsekakor se ne bojte naučiti česa novega in raziščite, na kakšne vse načine lahko predelate vaša oblačila, preden jih zavržete v primeren zabojnik.

Na mladinski izmenjavi smo spoznali ročno in strojno šivanje, vezenje, barvanje oblačil z belilom, Slikanje po oblačilih ter popravljanje oblačil z metodo sashiko. Tekom izmenjave smo iz oblačil, ki smo jih prinesli od doma, izdelali nova in jih prebivalcem vasice Fuscaldo – ti so nas ves čas izmenjave  prijazno gostili – izdelke predstavili na počasni modni reviji. Domov smo odšli opremljeni z veliko novega znanja in v želji, da se kakšne podobne mladinske izmenjave udeležimo še kdaj.

Vabimo vas, da se nam decembra pridružite na delavnici barvanja oblačil z belilom! 

 

Fotografija: Ylenia Stavale

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A future without discarded clothes

In an age of fast fashion, when thousands of new garments are available on retailers' shelves every few weeks, and a truckload of clothes is dumped or burned in landfills around the world every second, a future without discarded clothes sounds incredible. That's why young (and old) people from Kotlovnica Youth Centre took part in a youth exchange to find out what we can do to make this future happen.

At the end of October this year, we travelled to Fuscaldo, Italy, where the organiser Associazione Paolab hosted six organisations from Europe and beyond for the youth exchange "Slow Fashion Week". During ten days of learning from each other, we organised various workshops and presentations on slow and fast fashion and used our newly acquired practical skills to make sustainable pieces of clothing.

We realised that we live in an age of fast fashion, where brands are constantly bombarding us with new trends and poor quality clothes, and where the ability to shop online has made the situation much worse. We have learned what messages fast fashion brands are trying to make us aware of, as they like to mention that the production of their clothes is green and that they use organic cotton and recycled plastics in their production. They are relying on the ignorance of consumers who do not know that the proportion of organic cotton and recyclable plastic produced is extremely small.

But to make everything less black, we also got to know the other side - slow fashion, the main theme of our exchange. Products that fall into this category are made with local materials or by local makers, but are often much more expensive and therefore harder to afford. That's why we have worked together to create a list that will help us create a future with less thrown away clothes. We recommend that instead of buying new clothes, you visit a second-hand shop, a clothes swap, or just your relative's wardrobe, your friend's wardrobe... If you want to buy clothes, check where the fabrics that make up the clothes come from and where they were made, and in general only buy pieces that you will use. Look inside the garment for a label with information on the composition of the materials, as it is better to choose garments made from natural, breathable materials. Also, stick to the washing instructions to prolong the life of your clothes. For those of you who are skilled in manual skills, or who would like to learn, we recommend that you turn old clothes into new ones, use them for other purposes or repair them if they are torn. Don't be afraid to learn something new and explore all the ways you can repurpose your clothes before you throw them in the right bin.

During the youth exchange we learnt about hand and machine sewing, embroidery, dyeing clothes with bleach, painting on clothes and repairing clothes using the sashiko method. During the exchange, we made new garments from clothes we brought from home and presented them to the people of Fuscaldo village - who were very kind to host us throughout the exchange - in a slow fashion show. We went home with a lot of new knowledge and the desire to take part in another youth exchange like this one.

We invite you to join us in December for a workshop on dyeing clothes with bleach! 

 

Photo by Ylenia Stavale