Orsola de Castro on craft, community, and fashion activism

Orsola de Castro, a pioneering fashion activist and founder of the upcycling label From Somewhere (1997), co-founded Estethica in 2006 as an ethical fashion initiative within London Fashion Week. The Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 spurred her to launch Fashion Revolution, now active in 90 countries. In an interview with Artribune, she discusses community, craftsmanship, and the need for fair wages in fashion. She criticizes brands for exploiting workers and using toxic chemicals, citing distressed denim as an example of 'non-amore.' She advocates for investing in prosperity over growth and envisions a community-based fashion system. She also comments on Louis Vuitton's legal actions against upcycling designer Lee Kyung-han in Seoul and its earlier dispute with Romanian culture minister Raluca Turcan over traditional blouses.