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By Valentina Gamaleri Nazha Translated by Laura Caro Gamarra

From Fast Fashion to Activism:
Carola Moya’s Perspective about Consumption Beyond Fashion

The speed of consumption and the logic of disposal are reshaping the fashion industry today. Carola Moya, a sustainability consultant, analyzes the contradictions of the system and proposes rethinking the relation between production, consumption, and social responsibility.

 

More and more professionals in the fashion industry are beginning to question the environmental and social impact of a system based on rapid production, sales, and disposal. Among them is Carola Moya, a Chilean activist and consultant, CEO of Santiago Slow , and director of the Fundación Conexión Natural.

Activism has been part of her history since a young age. “I have been an activist since I was 14 years old”,she says. For years she worked within the fashion system providing retail consulting, experience that gave rise to a personal contradiction: “I felt like I was working on the dark side, creating needs that people didn’t have”.
This questioning coincided with the emergency of the slow movement, a current that proposes slowing the rhythms of consumption and encouraging local economies. By time, that perspective became the axis of her professional work.
She currently leads the consulting firm Santiago Slow and provides consulting to retail companies on sustainability, circular design, and responsible communication.

The Hyperconsumption Boom
Speaking about sustainability in fashion implies facing a contradiction. Meanwhile the environmental discourse gains ground, the rhythm of consumption continues to accelerate.
According to her analysis, the consumer profile has changed. “Before, people were concerned about quality and how long clothes would last”, she explains. Today immediacy prevails, along with the constant circulation of images, and the pressure of renewing one’s self image.

This scenario has resulted in what she describes as hyper-fast fashion, a system even faster than traditional fast fashion, driven by digital platforms and almost immediate production models.
Chile has become one of the countries where this dynamic is expressed with greater force. The average clothing consumption per person rose from around 13 items per year to close to 50 in the last decade.

New Models and the Search for Identity.
The alternatives within the circular economy seek to modify the lineal model of production, sale, use and disposal. The exchange of clothing, the consumption of second-hand or the rental of garments appear as strategies to reduce environmental impact.

For Carola, one of the most interesting proposals is upcycling, which consists of reusing existing garments to transform them into new pieces. “The most sustainable item is the one that already exists”, she summarises.

From her experience, she concludes that the challenge is collective: designers, companies, and consumers are all part of the same system and should begin to question the model that supports the industry. Taking the time to think about how we produce things and how we dress can also become a form of activism.

 

Goodbye Trends: Merlina Carolina Reflects on Identity in a New Way of Consuming Fashion By Valentina Gamaleri Nazha Translated by Laura Paipa

In a world dominated by visual overstimulation and instant consumption, more and more people are starting to question their relationship with fashion. Merlina Carolina, a fashion culture and personal style specialist from El Salvador,  reflects on how a new generation of consumers is seeking identity, purpose, and cultural representation through what they wear.

Merlina Carolinastylist, educator, fashion designer, and founder of the brand Néctar, has spent years analyzing the connection between aesthetics, culture, and consumption. According to her, over the past decade there has been a noticeable shift in how people engage with fashion. “The consumer started asking themselves where they’re consuming from and why it matters to do it differently,”she says.

At the same time, social media and visual platforms have expanded access to endless aesthetic inspiration. However, this abundance has also created an unexpected effect: uniformity. “Suddenly, we see many people wearing the same combination; this happens because they rely on references from Pinterest,”she says.

Dressing with intention
Amid this repetition, a clear desire emerges: to stand out. For Merlina, this goes beyond fashion—it's a human need. “That consumer who has awakened from this illusion seeks to differentiate themselves, first and foremost, because of the human being’s primitive need to express individuality.”

In this context, getting dressed is no longer just about buying clothes. It becomes a form of cultural consumption: the images we choose to engage with, the brands we support, and the references we bring into our daily lives begin to reflect our stance on fashion. For Merlina, the challenge lies in learning how to observe trends without losing your own identity. 

“We can see a trend, but we should ask ourselves whether it aligns with our values, our lifestyle, or the person we are.”

Latin American fashion: a new conscious, identity-driven consumption
This shift in how we consume clothing also aligns with the growing visibility of new creative regions. “Latin America is already positioning itself within the global fashion landscape”,she states.

Today, different ways of consuming fashion coexist. Some people follow trends, while others look for more personal or conscious alternatives. What’s encouraging, according to Merlina, is that more consumers are beginning to question their choices.

“It’s about living with intention—like choosing what I eat or the kind of lifestyle I want to have.”

Maybe that’s where the real change lies: understanding that getting dressed isn’t just about following trends but about expressing who we are and the values we choose to stand for..