Circular fashion: textile waste management project with communities

Abstract

The relationship established during university extension projects or design teaching is based on the exchange of knowledge. The awakening of the community to environmental, cultural and economic sustainability is among the results obtained that allow the autonomy of the group after the project and its strengthening. The lack of identity in local products is evident in the cultural and historical circuits of Minas Gerais, lacking products that apply local iconography. The extension project carried out at the School of Design at the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG) in 2017 promoted the collection of textile waste, followed by cataloging, allowing a mapping of disposal by garment factories in Belo Horizonte, mobilizing city halls to the correct management of this solid waste. The waste served as input for the execution of the project with embroiderers from a community in the city of Mariana (MG), using the upcycling technique, which consists of using textile waste and trimmings to create new fashion products. The project was strengthened by developing a brand with a visual identity, a brand manual to be applied to products.