The fashion industry ranks second after agriculture among the activities that consume the most fresh water in the world: 93 billion cubic meters used each year for growing and producing fibers alone. A single cotton shirt “costs” 2,700 liters of fresh water. Not only that: the industry is responsible for about 10 percent of global CO₂ emissions and 35 percent of microplastics released into the oceans. It generates 92 million tons of textile waste each year.
These are numbers that call for a total rethink of an industry that is also worth more than 2 percent of world GDP and employs 91 million workers. Turning the tide requires action on several fronts, and one of the most urgent actions is consumer awareness. This is precisely one of the goals of Heart Dressed, the documentary co-produced by Alexandra Cinematografica and Latteplus Production presented on June 5 in Rome for its world premiere.
From the mountains to the boardwalk
The film is a journey through the mountains of Bhutan, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan and Peru, where clothing is not trend but identity, knowledge passed down from generation to generation. The documentary stems from the project Fashion for Fragile Ecosystems of the FAO’s Mountain Partnership. It tells the dreams and stories of women artisans in those remote lands, custodians of an ancient textile tradition handed down from generation to generation.
Designers Vivia Ferragamo, Stella Jean, Carolina K and Antonio and Patrizia Marras made stops in the rural areas and small mountain villages of the four countries involved in the project, where women do fine sewing and weaving of precious local fabrics: Kyrgyz felt, Peruvian alpaca wool, Bhutan silk, and Guatemalan cotton. Materials and techniques were then used in the creation of fashion collections combining modernity and tradition. The collections were presented at the most prestigious international events, including Milan fashion week.
The voice of the producers
“With this documentary,” explains Francesco De Blasi of Alexandra Cinematografica, “we wanted to tell the incredible stories of women artisans who struggle every day to support their families through a craft that combines creativity and tradition, respect for the environment and the community. We chose to enhance the age-old craft knowledge of mountain communities to show through images how international cooperation between great international designers and local artisans can generate a powerful creative impulse and lasting economic impact. Our wish is thatHeart Dressed-Dressedwith Heart- can speak to the hearts of the public so that consumer awareness is created toward more responsible choices that are mindful of fragile ecosystems.”
Mountain communities, fragile ecosystems
Mountain communities, home to about 1.1 billion people worldwide, are among the most fragile ecosystems vulnerable to climate change. Despite their hardships, they continue to cherish environmentally sound production practices that global industry has long since abandoned.
“Behind the glitz of global fashion,” says Giorgio Grussu, FAO official and project coordinator, “lie social and environmental costs that the general public does not see. We must realize that in a globalized world we are not just consumers, but decision makers: every purchase we make has an immense impact on the lives of distant communities and, inevitably, on the health of our own planet. Every time we buy something, we are voting for the kind of world we want to live in. Knowing where what we wear comes from is the first step in changing the rules of the game.”
