The textile. A sheet made up of threads that intersect in different ways, giving rise to a new universe of textiles. On its surface, it manifests its particular way of communication through colors, textures, and patterns in which they exist.

 

In an analog way, the textile is comparable to a rocket, as both undergo a process of transformation and emerge as something new, whether it be a butterfly or garment, the rocket and textile also have their individuality, they express themselves through various forms on their surface, reflecting the places and times to which they belong. The textile is not only the main raw material of a garment, but it is also a medium of resistance, knowledge sharing, and the unification of people. It contextualizes us and tells us its story.

 

For the native peoples, textiles were a vehicle for manifestation of identity, through colors and iconography shown therein. With the violent eruption of colonization and imposition of a totally different lifestyle, the textile was a form of resistance against the taxing power of the conquerors. UNESCO, 2021.

 

Nowadays, textile continues to be a means of resisting inequalities and the invisibilization of otherness. This was recently shown by the Argentine brand Protesta en BAFWEEK, held in Buenos Aires, where they presented us on their last runway, reflecting their social and political approach with garments made of textiles recovered from protests and manifestations. Before their recovery, these textiles transmit to us the streets they had circulated, and through their intervention with paints and sprays on their surface, they narrate our emotions and ideals.

 

Dress of the brand Protesta, made with recovered textiles from manifestations, were exhibited at BAFWEEK 2023. Credits: @Pr0testa

Textile is a political element of expression that has to be contextualized to understand the place it occupies. “Textiles are the mirror that reflects the mindset of a time, however, the meaning placed on them has been subject to the ravages of the centuries and historical complications” (Unesco, 2021).