Location: Perquín, El Salvador
Start Date: May 2024
Partners: Comunidades Eclesiásticas de Base de El Salvador (CEBES)
In May, Sombrilla started a new sewing project in partnership with CEBES in El Salvador and funded by CHEF (Canadian Home Economics Foundation). The project addresses several issues, including supporting dignified access to clothing for people living with poverty, development of skills in design, sewing and traditional embroidery, and diverting second hand clothing from the fast fashion industry from landfills.
Renewing, Recycling, Embellishing
Like many developing countries, El Salvador receives bales of cast off clothing from wealthier countries and is left to figure out what to do with the unwanted clothes. The participants in this project will learn to reuse the fabric from used clothing to create new garments. Embroidery is a traditional skill in the region and is usually taught to daughters by their mothers. Embroidery skills will be included and will be incorporated into the clothing designs.
In a “train the trainer” model, the participants in the project come from their home communities to the CEBES Perquín’s Centre in Perquín where they learn clothing design and sewing skills. They then return to their communities and teach others the skills they have developed, increasing the impact of the project.