The Italian group Catanzaro has started to work in fashion but not just any old type of fashion! The group is, of course, avoiding fast fashion and uniformity, promoting instead a sustainable, activism-focused capsule collection that is fully aligned with the values of the Emmaus movement.

This collection was designed and made by Ljdia Musso, a volunteer and former secretary of the Catanzaro community. Ljdia is an expert in marketing and communication in the world of fashion and in the luxury sector as well as being a great photographer and artist. She upcycled second-hand Emmaus clothing, transforming them into a series of “graffiti clothes” thanks to a wide range of techniques: assembling fragments from different pieces of clothing as well as using inks, acrylic colours or spray paint. Ljdia’s objective was to produce a collection inspired by urban subcultures and by the world of experimental art but which would be accessible for all.

Ljdia opted for an inclusive, educational form of communication about her capsule collection, mainly communicating via Instagram. She published a series of photos and live videos which she called ‘Artist at Work’. In her photos and videos she showed herself working on the collection but also raised awareness about a more sustainable form of fashion, explaining various notions such as the difference between upcycling, recycling and downcycling, for example.

In parallel with the project Ljdia also gave artistic performances. The first of these, ‘Break the Silence’, took place on 7 March in Catanzaro and denounced violence against women. Ljdia wore two pieces of the clothing she made for this performance: a denim jacket entirely covered in poems by female poets and a shirt with a photo of one of her projects on the topic of femicide.

The clothing produced as part of this collection will be sold at an auction. Part of the proceeds will go towards supporting the project and the rest will be used to support Emmaus Catanzaro’s solidarity initiatives. This innovative project uses design to promote solidarity as well as to help defend the environment and the rights of the most vulnerable.

To find out more check out @emmauscatanzaro!