MODA-fad: sustainable fashion challenge ‘24 →
Carnival of Insurrectionist Couture, a Decolonial Practice

Along a group of 30 fashion students from Spanish, Dutch and British schools, we accepted the challenge of creating sustainable looks with a decolonial perspective and presenting them to the public at the Disseny Hub Barcelona - all of this in three days.

In groups of five, we were invited to reflect on the urgency of extractive dynamics of racial capitalism in the fashion unsustainability landscape. After decoloniality workshops given by experts, we were challenged to adopt perspectives beyond our own during our design process and garment creation. This was done by using only recycled garments, being extremely cautious about waste, rethinking how a dress can become the top garment of our final creation, and taking into consideration the models creative boundaries.

Our group reimagined the relationship between body and earth through a sensorial game with textures and shapes, proposing a fashion that embodies processes of change and rebirth, challenging the rigid structures of colonialism.

The looks created by the six student teams, can be seen in an exhibition at the Disseny Hub Barcelona in the first quarter of 2025. They will also be published in Barcelona based magazine Fucking Young!.

The Sustainable Challenge is a annual program organized by MODA-FAD thanks to the promotion of Barcelona City Council and the Design Hub Barcelona and the collaboration of the Netherlands Ambassy.