Award-Winner Eco Fashion Project from Brazil, Tropicca, arrives in Australia
What if your next clutch not only ticked the fashionable and glam aspects of it?! Could your fashion purchases be also helping the environment and the society?
Well, us at Purple Mango not only think it could, but it should :-) The exponential growth of ethical and sustainable fashion brands and projects fills us with extreme joy and hope that we, step by step, walk in the direction of a better future as a global community.
One of the incredible projects that is ticking many positive boxes in the sphere of eco fashion, ethics and sustainability is the Brazilian team from Tropicca.
Tropicca was born by the love of handloom techniques and it became a collaborative initiative with artisans in a small country town in Brazil. With the motto of "our tool is love and sustainability is the result", Tropicca has been producing outstanding fashion products that are not just stunning, but very importantly they are on a mission of delivering ethical and sustainable fashion initiatives.
Tropicca's Handloom Bags - which were recently featured in Vogue Brazil - are made using recycled VHS tapes, mixed with natural yarn. Yep, the old school VHS tapes, that some of the newer generations might not even know it ever existed!
The designs won of the 12th House & Gift Fair Design awards in Brazil, recognised by its sustainability concept.
The project not only ticks the environmental aspects of the design, but it also is proudly transparent about social and ethical practices.
As a living proof that ethical fashion is possible, the they proudly introduce the ‘hands who create’ as a feature of their story. Workers have a face, are valued and respected. And this love is translated to the final result!
The production of this clutch is part of a social project that is empowering women through fashion and bringing back to life the handloom industry in a small town where the industry was nearly extinct.
Purple Mango feels honoured to bring this outstanding ethical fashion project to Australia and New Zealand!
How this project started - what a fantastic story!
The handloom industry for a long time was a growing and prosperous sector in the small Brazilian country town where Tropicca was born. But, as you probably won’t be suprised, big corporations and industrialised methods took over the market and not much was left for the artisans.
One of the leaders of the team is Joao Antonio , a Brazilian fashion designer. His journey with the handloom world began as a child. Along side his mother Vaninha, Joao used to closely watch the whole handloom process: from the yarn stage up to the sales stage.
His roots with this culture were so strong that Joao decided to get professional skills and enrolled himself in a fashion college.
Witnessing the whole artisan culture he grow up with being nearly extinct hit Joao hard. For the passion of this industry and in honour of his beloved mother, Joao and a group of local artisans decided to pick up the pieces that were left and bring back the handloom industry to life. And step by step, they are doing it!
The team at Tropicca is composed by these wonderful artisans that take the handloom technique and industry as it’s passion, life and source of income. Some of them have been doing it for nearly their whole lives.
The team at Purple Mango can’t express how much love and joy we feel to be able to support this fabulous initiative and crew - and be able to bring to Australian fashion lovers a absolutely gorgeous and unique fashion piece!
