In Argentina, a charitable foundation that's been helping underprivileged women create designs for Buenos Aires Fashion Week. And for many women who live in Argentina's slums, the program offers a chance of a lifetime to see their designs on the runway.
Reaching BAFWEEK might have seemed like an impossible dream for many of the women who have designed and created clothes at the Cosiendo Redes Project.
Reaching BAFWEEK might have seemed like an impossible dream for many of the women who have
designed and created clothes at the Cosiendo Redes Project.
But last week they were able to see their dreams come to fruition as professional models donned the creations and took to the city’s catwalks in front of hundreds of Argentina’s biggest names in fashion.
For Zuli Pereira it was a big step towards her new life as she chases a dream of one day starting her own fashion company with her daughter.
Pereira has been training at Cosiendo Redes, which translates to "Stitching Networks" to gain the necessary skills and work experience to leave her current job as a cleaner and achieve her dreams.
"I don’t want to work as a cleaner anymore. Not that there is anything wrong with it. Truthfully it is how my kids were able to study, but I want something for myself." Pereira said.
Pereira is one of some 700 students at the foundation, and she has been training here for the past three years.
Cosiendo Redes is part of the Peace Foundation which began in 1993 with just 20 students. Since then it has blossomed into an important lifeline for hundreds of women, and some men, looking to get back on their feet. Most are poor and come from the slums that line the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
"We have people who were victims of trafficking. We have people who are on a trial period and have been released from psychiatric hospitals. So, it is really diverse. So we don’t just help give them skills, but also help them in social inclusion." Liliana Crigna, president of "Cosiendo Redes" Foundation, said.
The idea is to educate these people and give them the skills needed to work in the fashion industry.
The group’s debut on the runways of BAFWEEK is a big step in the direction of Pereira’s dream.
