From October 17th to 22nd, Canada will host Vancouver Fashion Week, which, with over 20 years of history since its founding in 2001, has positioned itself as the second most significant fashion week in the Americas, second only to New York.

This grand event will feature the participation of Colombian designer Juan Pablo Socarrás and his project 'Hilos de la Tierra' in a fashion show that will present clothing and accessories created by talented artisanal hands seeking to preserve and promote ancestral techniques through sustainable business models. Juan Pablo Socarrás Yani is a fashion designer from the Colombian Caribbean with over 16 years of experience leading projects for social transformation in Colombia through the design and creation of collections that connect artisanal, indigenous, Afro-descendant, and traditional communities from across Latin America.

One of the designer's standout projects is 'Hilos de la Tierra,' which he has been working on since 2021 in collaboration with the Canadian company Gran Tierra Energy and the Global Women's Corporation. These entities aim to strengthen business, cultural, ancestral, and artisanal practices in different indigenous communities across the Colombian territory.

In the first phase of this project, the indigenous communities Awá Blanca from the Awá ethnic group, Piedra Sagrada La Gran Familia from the Pasto ethnic group, Caña Bravita from the Emberá Chamí ethnic group, and Wasipungo from the Inga ethnic group, worked with a total of 32 artisans, comprising 28 women and four men. They were guided through a six-month business strengthening experience, focusing on developing various craft techniques they already possessed and preserving their cultures and knowledge. During this initial phase, the communities participated in various workshops and activities, including idea and product design, product development, finances, and access to resources, among others.

Socarrás's goal is to weave and tell stories that result in unique pieces, giving visibility to the invisible stories of our artisans, vulnerable communities, emerging designers, and different entrepreneurs through fiber. According to him, "we are all connected, and we weave and tell stories that become pieces that contribute to changing the lives of those behind them."

According to the Colombian designer, "the Socarrás brand seeks to transcend stories and the principle of well-being. We continuously work to rescue Latin American techniques and crafts, turning them into the new luxury and taking them to different markets, where we create social impact and have a significant

history of social transformation. Our consumers are conscious consumers who seek a narrative, so it's important for us to tell a good story."

You can find Socarrás's designs on the platform www.socarras.com.co, and they are planning to launch a more extensive platform that will reach various parts of the world. As a designer and social catalyst, their goal is to impact over 80,000 people globally by 2030, work on more projects with artisan communities in Latin America and around the world, and be an amplifier for all the communities they collaborate with.

ProColombia, the promotion agency of the country, part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, has supported the promotion of the designer's participation and the talent of our artisans in the Vancouver Fashion Week by inviting potential buyers interested in commercializing the clothing and by promoting the project to inform the public about how fashion impacts the quality of life and the sustainable development of vulnerable populations in the country. For ProColombia, fundamental pillars are sustainable growth, productive transformation, regional development, positioning Colombia, market diversification, and job creation.

According to Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia, "this event is crucial for showcasing Colombia's potential in the fashion industry, a sector experiencing exponential international growth, contributing to the development of regions and territories while positioning Colombia as a leader in the textile industry".

The Fashion Landscape in Colombia

Regarding the fashion supply chain in Colombia, 93% of the business fabric consists of micro, small, and medium-sized companies, which are highly flexible in minimum production requirements.

The United States and Latin America and the Caribbean are the top export destinations for the fashion industry, which has grown by 4.9% in the last four years, reaching its peak in 2022. Clothing is the most exported category, with an average participation of 59% (US$ 533.8 million) between 2019 and 2022