Welcome to Creative Movement! Today we present a new chapter of inspiration and creativity. In our space dedicated to non-resident artists, we aim to amplify their voices and share their talent with our community. Today we dive into the fascinating world of fashion upcycling, exploring how reusing existing fabrics can transform the fashion industry. Join us on this journey as we present Totakeawear and explore the importance of rethinking fashion in a creative, sustainable way.

Totakeawear came about from the need to show the many possibilities of upcycling in fashion and to support the project Okollective, a sustainable design studio formed by Claudia and Cristina.

 To begin, could you share with our readers your artistic vision and how you define yourselves as creators.

• We both come from the world of conventional fashion and have long careers as designers. We worked at Desigual for many years, where we learned the different techniques we use and how to combine garments of all kinds to arrive at original creations.
• We believe enough material has already been created; there's no need to exploit more resources. Starting from what already exists, the idea is to create new pieces with as much potential as those we can see in any fashion store. Upcycling doesn't have to be tacky or outdated — more and more designers are showing their skills and using this creative tool.

Where do you find inspiration for your work? Is there any ritual or routine you follow before you start creating?

• Inspiration is everywhere — I know it sounds like a cliché... sometimes a guy on the metro, a vintage magazine, music videos and why not... fashion shows and luxury garments and accessories. Anything can be made from something that already exists, and that's what we want to show.
• We look at what we have as a source garment or material and brainstorm to decide what it will become... sometimes we make several tests until we find the perfect item.

 Could you share one or two projects you've worked on and are

especially proud of?

• As a project, TOTAKEAWEAR is at a very early stage, our challenge is to launch the website this year. The idea is to sell in drops, make limited-edition pieces and not generate stock.
• As OKOLLECTIVE we took part in creating NUAR, an upcycling brand available in Botiga Amiga and Moda-RE stores. It was made with textiles they couldn't sell in their shops, and produced in a social and employment integration workshop.
• We have supported the decoration of more than 30 Pepe Jeans stores, using their used or flawed denim to create denim patchwork panels and recovering more than 200k of material destined for destruction.

– Collaborating on the creation and design of some garments for the upcycling and NFT clothing brand VAILC

– Design and creation of the first swimwear and beachwear collection for the brand ETNIA 36 , a sustainable fashion label made with textile surplus stock and involving different ethnic groups from Bolivia.

Throughout your career, you've surely faced challenges. Could you share a

particularly challenging experience and how it influenced your artistic development?

• Every project is a challenge in its own way, and in the times we live in, the big challenge is for an upcycling fashion brand to compete with any successful brand on the market. Breaking through the prejudice that new products made from discarded ones can generate.

Fashion reflects society and culture. How do you see your role as a brand? And what do you think about the current direction of fashion and its impact on

society?

• As a brand, TOTAKEAWEAR wants to break the stereotypes attached to upcycled fashion and reach all kinds of customers, inclusively and without bias. Sometimes with a more urban style, but we aim to reach every audience.
• Conventional fashion is still dominant, but with many cracks, such as the use of natural resources, poor working conditions and waste generation, which is unsustainable. Now is a great moment to grow as an upcycling brand; little by little more people are joining the DIY movement, and social media is a showcase for emerging designers making their way from small workshops, as in the case of TOTAKEAWEAR. Society is embracing second-hand, and more and more people are getting into this kind of shopping.