The fast fashion industry makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams.

43.9% of the Mexican population live in poverty.

Sustainable fashion brand KOUA-STUDIO are killing two birds with one stone by outsourcing the production of their eco-friendly hand-made textiles to provide jobs for indigenous Mexican women living in poverty.

KOUA-STUDIO founder and Mexico-native Erika Alvarez explains that the impoverished areas of Mexico typically offer little to no opportunities to women.

“Local women usually have to leave school early to take care of their siblings, and a lack of education keeps them stuck in the generational cycle of poverty. Working with KOUA-STUDIO means that they can generate income selling their textiles. Slowly but surely we can eradicate poverty and the fight against gender-based violence by empowering these women”.

KOUA-STUDIO currently work with over 150 skilled female artisans across different local communities in Mexico to develop their 4 lines of textiles. To empower these communities, all intellectual property rights of these textiles belong to them.

“Mexican women in low-income areas are often taught embroidery techniques from a young age. It’s a part of many family legacies. It’s their cosmovision, heritage and culture embodied in a piece of fashion and we should respect that. The empowerment of indigenous women is so important for poverty eradication, achievement of sustainable development and the fight against gender-based violence”.

Each year, 85% of all textiles end up in landfill. KOUA-STUDIO use organic, recycled and locally-sourced materials to craft their textiles. The indigenous women of Mexico collaborating with KOUA-STUDIO also use traditional ancestral techniques to hand-weave fabrics, meaning there is little to no environment-damaging energy required in the production process.

“We obtain our wool from locally-raised sheep. Our artisans brush the fabric and use a spinning wheel to craft the design. All our dyes are from sheep wool, indigo extracted from plants, flowers, fruits, seeds, tree bark, moss, and insects”.