{"id":65443,"date":"2025-06-18T19:24:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T00:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/?p=65443"},"modified":"2025-06-18T19:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T00:24:36","slug":"la-sostenibilidad-se-esconde-en-los-procesos-no-en-los-productos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/la-sostenibilidad-se-esconde-en-los-procesos-no-en-los-productos\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Lives in Processes, Not Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cristina Rivas - Translated by \u00c1ngela Su\u00e1rez<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Uruguayan designer Luc\u00eda L\u00f3pez didn\u2019t arrive in the world of <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> because it was trendy \u2014 but because it had long been part of her everyday life. Her connection to fabric scraps began in her grandmother\u2019s sewing room, where Luc\u00eda learnt that fabrics, even smaller ones, could have a second chance. \u201cI was always interested in working with textile waste, in finding ways to use discarded materials that no longer belonged to the formal industry\u201d, Luc\u00eda explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(V\u00eda Instagram: @lucia_lopez_rod)<\/span><\/p>\n

Materials in flea markets and experimented with waste from other industries. The wish to transform the waste naturally led her go to the <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i>world, and she not only adopted the concept but also investigated and re-signified it from a critical perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is <\/b>upcycling<\/i><\/b> for Luc\u00eda L\u00f3pez?<\/b><\/p>\n

Luc\u00eda makes a clear difference between <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> and traditional recycling. \u201cUnlike recycling, where original materials are often degraded \u2014 as happens with recycled cotton or plastic \u2014 <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> seeks to transform discarded materials by adding value without losing quality,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Via Instagram: @lucia_lopez_rod in @casaurbanauniformes)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The term, originally borrowed from other industries, emerged as a critic of traditional recycling that often resulted in lower-quality products. The prefix <\/span>\u201cup\u201d<\/span><\/i> symbolizes the upgrade or revaluation. In Spanish, the term has been translated to <\/span>supraciclaje<\/span><\/i>although this is not a widely used term.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"(V\u00eda Instagram: @lucia_lopez_rod)<\/span><\/p>\n

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In fashion, <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> involves transforming discarded clothing or materials into new creations, while preserving \u2014 and sometimes even highlighting \u2014 original details, such as seams, textures, fastenings, and trims. For Luc\u00eda, this process has a strong creative, technical, and above all, ethical component.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Beyond the objective: other forms of actions<\/b><\/p>\n

For Luc\u00eda, <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> isn\u2019t just a design technique but a critical strategy embedded within a broader reflection on the fashion system itself. In mid-2018, alongside designer Agustina Comas, Luc\u00eda held a conference called <\/span>\u201cPost Fashion. Other forms of actions\u201d<\/span><\/i>at Proyecto CasaMario in Montevideo. There, they challenged the traditional structures of fashion design, advocating for a necessary slowdown in the cycles of production, distribution, and consumption, with sustainability at the core.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Within this framework, they explored the possibility of infiltrating the fashion system critically and gradually, adopting strategies that subtly subvert its established logic. They emphasized the value of cooperative work dynamics, knowledge exchange, collective reflection, respecting the time needed for learning processes, and preserving handicraft traditions. One of the most provocative examples was <\/span>shopdropping<\/span><\/i>within this framework, they explored the possibility of infiltrating the fashion system critically and gradually, adopting strategies that subtly subvert its established logic. They emphasized the value of cooperative work dynamics, knowledge exchange, collective reflection, respecting the time needed for learning processes, and preserving handcraft traditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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(L\u00f3pez Rodr\u00edguez, 2022, about clothing and manufacturing practices)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The transformative potential of <\/b>upcycling<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Currently, Luc\u00eda L\u00f3pez leads upcycling projects with <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> with an industrial focus- a relatively unexplored field in Latin America. In collaboration with the Uruguayan company Casa Urbana Uniformes, she\u2019s developing a circular management system for textile waste that goes beyond creative redesign to tackle sustainability from a strategic and structural perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Casa Urbana embraces the initiative of the <\/span>United Nations Global Compact<\/b>, since they received the <\/span>First Prize for Sustainable Fashion<\/b>in 2021. This distinction boosted their public commitment to the <\/span>Compact\u2019s ten principles<\/b>, which focus on human rights, labor standards, environmental responsibility, and anti-corruption efforts. In Uruguay, more than 60 companies participate in this Network of Good Practices, promoting a more ethical and sustainable business model.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\"\"(V\u00eda Instagram: @lucia_lopez_rod)<\/span><\/p>\n

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For Luc\u00eda, this ethical framework reinforces the relevance of the translation of sustainability into real decisions in the companies. \u201cThe work we do with Casa Urbana allow us to think about <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> at scale with measurable processes, while preserving the artisanal spirit and critical stance towards the system,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Although she acknowledges that the quantitative impact of <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> is still relatively small, Luc\u00eda highlights its enormous potential as a tool for raising awareness. \u201cIt is small today, but it plays a pivotal role in exposing the issue of textile waste, and in offering accessible and creative ways to face it.\u201d, she states.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Social media: visibility with caution<\/b><\/p>\n

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Luc\u00eda is cautious regarding the role of social media. Even though she admits platforms like Instagram have been key to spreading new sustainable practices, she also warns of the risk of <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> becoming just another aesthetic trend stripped of its critical content. \u201cIt\u2019s important that people understand why we are doing it. It\u2019s not just about sewing two shirts together \u2014 it\u2019s about taking a stance on; it is taking a stand on consumption, on the value of natural resources and human labor\u201d, she affirms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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From both an academic and professional perspective, Luc\u00eda insists that true sustainability lies in the processes: in how garments are designed, produced, and reused, not just in the final product. \u201cSometimes, the right thing isn\u2019t the most popular, but with time, those new ways can become the standard,\u201d she reflects.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A scalable and collective future<\/b><\/p>\n

Luc\u00eda L\u00f3pez believes in an <\/span>upcycling<\/span><\/i> approach that doesn\u2019t compete with other sustainability strategies, but complements them. From artisanal craftsmanship to industrial implementation, she advocates for working on multiple fronts simultaneously. \u201cIt is not about homemade clothing being less valuable than industrial clothing \u201c. It\u2019s about how every action contributes. We need to work along multiple paths at the same time,\u201d she states ng\u201c. It\u2019s about how every action contributes. We need to work along multiple paths at the same time,\u201d she states.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In a world where fast fashion dominates the market and growing mountains of textile waste, voices like Lucia Lopez\u2019s offer real, creative, and committed alternatives. Her work is an invitation to think beyond trends and to see discarded materials as resources with potential, and to remember that change, often, begins with something as simple as a stitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sources:<\/b><\/p>\n

Informe Casa Urbana 2023: <\/span>https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1vHFiWj22x8iGkt3GM7-82y1ThMXH63jT\/view?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAac1bd0VHJ2jlkywh4D3pnESxwpQuBi31itHZ3ZxYVjvdlPAzBssvPCT-P0ACg_aem_DGYGEp1h17HZ0hZrRyMYcA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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L\u00f3pez Rodr\u00edguez, L. (2022). <\/span>Atinando al ojo del c\u00edclope: la remanufactura y otros modos de accionar nuestras pr\u00e1cticas del vestir<\/span><\/i> (S. Alonso & F. Miranda, Eds.). CasaMario Edition.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Por Cristina Rivas   La dise\u00f1adora uruguaya Luc\u00eda L\u00f3pez no […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":65444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553,552],"tags":[316,48,47,670,671,672,673,558,634,674,644,556,226],"class_list":["post-65443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mola-mag","category-mola-mic","tag-moda-consciente","tag-moda-latina","tag-moda-sostenible","tag-moda-uruguaya","tag-procesos","tag-residuos-textiles","tag-segunda-mano","tag-tendencias","tag-textiles","tag-transformacion-de-prendas","tag-trazabilidad","tag-upcycling","tag-uruguay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65450,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65443\/revisions\/65450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universomola.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}