Organic and Natural Cotton Color
Natural Cotton Color Participates in Fashion Show at Harvest Day in Ingá-PB
Fashion, sustainability and community come together: On 13th September 2024, the municipality of Ingá, in Paraíba, was the stage for an event that united fashion, sustainability and community celebration. During “Harvest Day”, Natural Cotton Color presented a fashion show that involved the local community to showcase the potential of cotton cultivated in the region with added value through design. The looks presented at Harvest Day served as a tribute to the innovative potential of organic and local fashion.
Local Community Takes to the Runway
Among the models, the majority were residents of Ingá, sons and daughters of farmers or members of the quilombola community. Photo: Adriano Franco.
The fashion show had a special touch: the models who walked the runway were mostly local residents, children of farmers and members of Ingá’s quilombola community, trained for the show in a partnership between Abrimos and Senai-PB. Among them were also senior models from the capital João Pessoa, aged between 40 and 70 years, reinforcing the diversity and authenticity of the presentation. Seeing the farmers in the “front row” and their families walking the runway demonstrates that collective work in cotton cultivation has brought new meaning to the expression “from field to catwalk”.
Senior models also graced the sustainable fashion runway with organic coloured cotton from Ingá, Paraíba. Photo: Adriano Franco.
“The importance of the fashion show at Harvest Day is to show farmers how the cotton they plant is transformed into quality products, valuing work in the fields and connecting rural production with the fashion world,” said Francisca.
Calunga Collection Preview
Natural Cotton Color presented some pieces from the Calunga collection, a line to be launched on 20th September at a fashion show at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Italy. This collection, inspired by Maracatu — an Afro-Brazilian cultural manifestation from the Carnival of Paraíba and Pernambuco — combines contemporary design with the use of organic cotton, highlighting the beauty of natural colours and the unique textures of this sustainable material.
Multiple Brands Showcase Sustainable Fashion In addition to Natural Cotton Color, pieces from the brands D’Cotton, Makano, Pacoa and Dona Chica were presented, and blankets from Santa Luzia Redes e Decoração and Terra do Sol were used as accessories — body wraps. Fabrics from Indústria Cataguases, Dalila Têxtil and Unitêxtil were also featured. Photo: Carlos Melo
At the Harvest Day fashion show in Ingá, pieces featuring fabrics from Indústria Cataguases, Dalila Têxtil, TexPar from the Unitêxtil group were also exhibited, as well as blankets from Santa Luzia Redes e Decoração and Terra do Sol used as body wraps. On the runway, pieces from the brands D’Cotton and Dona Chica were also showcased. All are linked to the Sustainable Fashion Association (Abrimos), of which Francisca Vieira, CEO of Natural Cotton Color, is current president.
Milestone Towards GOTS Certification
The event also had a greater significance: marking the beginning of the final phase for obtaining the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certificate. This international certification is highly respected because it endorses the entire production chain. It represents recognition of the environmental and social commitment that guides cotton production in Ingá. With this, Paraíba cotton is about to establish itself in the global market as a premium raw material and place Brazil on the world map of sustainable fashion.
More Than Fashion: A Cultural Celebration
More than a simple fashion show, the event was a celebration of local culture, promoting the integration of fashion with the community’s history and recovering the legacy of Paraíba cotton, which in the past was known as the region’s “White Gold”. Natural Cotton Color demonstrated that sustainable fashion is not just a trend, but a movement to value the environment, people and culture.
With initiatives like this, the brand reaffirms its commitment to building an ethical fashion chain, where the beauty of the pieces reflects respect for manual labour and the preservation of natural resources. “Harvest Day” was a moment to celebrate, reflect and plan for a future in which fashion and sustainability walk hand in hand.
Close of the Harvest Day 2024 fashion show. The show was produced by Francisca Vieira, Leo Mendonça and Niceia Ribeiro. Photo: Carlos Melo
Celebrating the Entire Cotton Production Chain Harvest Day celebrates the organic cotton production chain of Paraíba. From the seed, represented by Embrapa superintendent Nair Arriel, through pu blic policy, represented by Ingá’s mayor Robério Burity, also through cultivation and processing, represented by Mr Biu, president of the Itacoop cooperative. The spinning and weaving stage with André Klein and Marco Aurélio, and the added value through design built by the garment industry represented by Francisca Vieira, president of the Sustainable Fashion Industry Association (Abrimos) and CEO of the Natural Cotton Color brand. All of this is presented to the public at fashion events, represented by Rafael Morais, director of the sustainable fashion week Brasil Eco Fashion Week.