By: Ana Fernanda Souza, Academic Coordinator of the Forum and Diversity Coordinator of Fashion Revolution.
There were people tired of traveling many hours to São Paulo – and who, on the same day, would make the round trip back to their city. There were the hugs of friends who only meet once a year and also the surprise of those who only knew each other through a computer screen. There was music, visual arts, good ideas, and the anticipation of winning an award – all set against the iconic MASP backdrop.
This was the picture of the 6th edition of the Fashion Revolution Forum, which took place on the 22nd and mobilized hundreds of people, including fashion students, professors, researchers, writers, artists, fashion activists, and entrepreneurs eager to secure resources to invest in their good ideas. From my super-privileged point of view, I swear you could also see an audience with shining eyes taking in everything that was happening. Yes, I was lucky enough to be the master of ceremonies for this event, and now I’m going to share with you what I saw and felt there.
Ana Fernanda Souza,
Why a Forum? Because we firmly believe that the change we want to promote in fashion will not happen unless we create spaces for new ideas.
Academic Coordinator of the Forum and Diversity Coordinator of Fashion Revolution
Why a Forum? Because we firmly believe that the change we want to promote in fashion will not happen unless we open spaces for new ideas. The Fashion Revolution Forum is a call to all those who fight for a regenerative, restorative, and revolutionary fashion system – whether they are those building actions around this agenda or those seeking to learn more about the topic. People from all over Brazil set aside one day of their year to come to São Paulo to support the initiatives present at the Forum, organized by Fashion Revolution Brazil.
But those who were at MASP that Friday might not have realized that the event started months earlier: at the beginning of 2024, when we launched the call for the Decolonial Fashion School (EMD), which in its second edition enrolled nearly a thousand people. To ensure a certificate from the School, participants had to submit a paper at the Forum – although the Forum was not exclusive to EMD students, every participant who took the stage and introduced themselves as a graduate of the School was, for us, a great joy and source of pride, with the feeling that the cycle was complete: after going through training, sharing what was learned.
The best papers were invited to present during the event and had the opportunity to compete for the Fórum Fashion Revolution Penambucanas Award. Photo: Nathu Sousa.
We attribute to the School the increase in the submission of works that address racial issues – which is very important to us, especially in a year when the Forum took place during the Black Consciousness Week; in the first year when Black Consciousness Day became a national holiday; in the year when Racial Equality became officially an Objective of Sustainable Development. The revolution in fashion will be racialized, or it will not happen. And this is not related to identity politics; this is a very material aspect for those who carry, in their own bodies, the deep scars of colonization and enslavement.
As if the nervousness of organizing such a large and important event wasn’t enough, this year we had a major new feature: the launch of the Forum Fashion Revolution Pernambucanas Award. Works were awarded in all categories – Theoretical Essay, Illustration, and Practical Essay – and across all themes: Race and Gender, Climate and Technology. The winners in the Practical Essay category received a larger amount – R$ 10,000 each – to invest in their projects, with mentorship from Pernambucanas, the sponsor of the Project.
The Forum is a pioneering platform in discussing decoloniality and ancestry in Brazilian fashion, and it promotes partnerships with those who are transforming this industry in the country. Photo: Nathu Sousa
In the morning session, we listened to presentations from ten authors of the Theoretical Essays – which represents only a fraction, as the Forum’s Digital Book, now available for download, contains about 50 published essays. We started with presentations in the thematic area of Race and Gender, with a talk by Luciene Hidaka (SP), who reminded us that "the personal is political" when discussing the blending of public and private roles in the work of a seamstress in her essay – she herself being a mother who had to leave to take her son to school. I, also being there with my child, couldn’t help but identify with her. The fashion we want to build is big enough to accommodate all mothers and their children.
Next, we experienced Afroperifa with Will from Afro (SP); Jordana Reis (RS) reminded us why we love fashion and how powerful it can be when it aims to convey a transformative message. Sabrina Keitty (PE) spoke about the precarious conditions of fashion workers, in a dialogue with the question "Who made my clothes?", a key theme of Fashion Revolution; and Maruaia Castro (BA) reminded us how fashion can be used for discrimination, describing how the uniforms of domestic workers are used as a tool of discrimination.
Artistic performance by Araru Ara Poty. Photo: Nathu Sousa.
The morning continued with presentations of essays on the theme of Climate. In her presentation, Melina Nunes (SP) told us how colonial the initiatives to tackle the climate crisis are, especially when coming from the Global North. Fernanda Cavalheiro (CE) presented the challenges and opportunities in using hemp fiber in fashion, and Fernanda Putini (PR) reflected on the intersection of fashion, decoloniality, sustainability, and the Anthropocene. The last presentations in the morning were on the theme of Technology: Luciana de Souza (SP) and Sarah Ribeiro (MA) spoke to us about another side of technology: ancestral knowledge.
In the afternoon, the presentations of the Practical Essays category took place: the finalists Isabella Vasconcellos, Ludmila Rioga and Angélica Oliveira, Mariana Freire and Ana Paula Alves, Fabíola Rosa and Débora Clérici, Roberta Kremer, Verônica Kobus, Andreyna Silva, Maria Eloisa Conceição, Renan Vital, and Natalie Prado presented their projects to the judging panel, which was composed of Fernanda Simon, our Executive Director; Paloma Gervasio Botelho, Personal Style Consultant, Idealizer of Afrocentric Fashion Projects, and Deputy Delegate of the Fashion Sector of the State of São Paulo; Livia Souza, Sustainability Manager at Pernambucanas; Isaac Silva, fashion designer; and Jonas Lessa, CEO of Retalhar.
Ana Paula Xongani gave a lecture on Fashion and Ancestry. Photo: Nathu Sousa
While everyone held their breath in anticipation of the jury's decision, we were treated to a musical performance by Araju Ara Poty – reminding us that, before being the largest city in Brazil and a global metropolis, São Paulo is indigenous land. We were also fortunate to listen to Ana Paula Xongani in her lecture “Fashion and Ancestry” – which may seem like two words that don't quite fit together, since fashion is always looking to the new, while ancestry seems to take us to the past. But as Ana Paula taught us: a strong tree has deep roots. A fashion that knows itself and represents the beauty of its people cannot ignore the past as a way to understand itself and empower itself.
FFR awardees, Fashion Revolution Brazil team, and the judging panel. Photo: Nathu Sousa
Ah, you want to know about the Prize, right? At the end of the afternoon, the first-place winners in the Practical Essay category were Maria Eloisa de Jesus Conceição (Technology), Ludmila Rioga and Angélica de Oliveira (Race and Gender), and Roberta Kremer (Climate) – you can find the essays in the Forum’s Digital Book. The certificates were presented by Carol Barreto, Isa Silva, and Paloma Botelho. The other finalists were also called to the stage to receive their recognition, and the celebration continued late into the evening in the auditorium foyer, with autographs and an exhibition of illustrations – which are also available in the digital book.
Text written by Ana Fernanda Souza, Academic Coordinator of the Forum and Diversity Coordinator of Fashion Revolution.
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The Fashion Revolution Brazil team would like to thank the sponsor of the Forum, Pernambucanas, whose support made it possible to carry out this project that positively impacts so many people!
We thank the institutional supporters: IED São Paulo, Ewa Poranga, Moda Unisinos, Instituto Brasileiro de Moda, and Senac.
We extend our thanks to the professors of the Scientific and Evaluation Committees of the FFR for their impeccable evaluation of the works, to the participants for the amazing projects submitted and presented, and to the entire Fashion Revolution team.
Last but not least, we would like to thank the jury of the Fórum Fashion Revolution Pernambucanas Award for their collaboration in evaluating the winning works. Thank you, Isa Isaac Silva, Jonas Lessa, Paloma Gervasio Botelho, Fernanda Simon, and Livia Lopes.