Woven Through Trust and Affect: Four Cases of Fashion Sustainability in Brazil

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigates how fashion practitioners have approached sustainability in Brazil. Through the lens of culture—a recently emerging pillar of sustainability—we look into practices that hint at plural approaches in the dominant western perspectives, especially in terms of their symbolic dimension and value systems. We will briefly present and explore cases of agroforestry, clothing upcycling, alternative leather production, and collaborative spaces and workshops. The notions of ‘trust-based relationship’ and ‘affect’ emerge as key elements in the development of more sustainable practices in the field of fashion. This chapter contributes to the sustainability discussion by presenting Brazilian cases from a cultural perspective. It further expands the discussion on decolonizing design and proposes a possible direction for decolonizing fashion. It concludes with reflections on how western and non-western societies can benefit from the addition of these dimensions to the sustainability discourse.KeywordsSustainable fashion practicesPlural fashion sustainabilityCultural sustainabilityBrazilian fashionFashion design cultureDecolonizing fashionCase study