ARCA - Agender Circular Apparel

ARCA - AgendeR Circular Apparel

The project ARCA (AgendeR Circular Apparel) experiments with a European transnational co-design and co-creation process with three emerging fashion designers to develop the prototype of an Agender Circular Capsule Wardrobe (ACCW) inspired by the three participating European cities (Barcelona, Berlin and Bologna), as well as an associated open-source digital tutorial.

Our goal is to generate a positive impact in the fashion industry by focusing on sustainable practices and inclusive design, ultimately producing a prototype of a curated capsule collection of versatile and non-binary garments designed with circular principles in mind, as well as an associated open-source digital tutorial.

ARCA, a project co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe funding programme (Project N° 101131677), is coordinated by Baumhaus (IT), a social cooperative specialised in innovation of learning practices in the cultural and creative industries aimed at underprivileged beneficiaries; Lantoki (SPA), a SME formed by slow fashion designers specialised in fashion courses and Circular Berlin (GER), a non profit organisation developing circular economy through knowledge building and practical programmes.

The change we envision (IT)s a European Union where the word fashion is synonymous with a 100% sustainable and inclusive (SPA): nothing is created from scratch but everything is regenerated and everyone feels at home, safe and beautiful in their own body and unique aesthetics.

1.

Foster transnational cooperation and knowledge sharing among organisations working on sustainable and inclusive fashion practices.

2.

Develop capacity building tools and training to democratise access to knowledge on circular and inclusive fashion design for creatives, professionals and those needing upskilling..

3.

Experiment with co-created, agender circular fashion collections and an innovative "phygital" training model combining offline sessions and open-source online tutorials.

4.

Promote equal access to quality education in creative industries, equipping participants with tools to address sustainability and inclusivity in fashion.

5.

Use fashion as a catalyst to drive cultural change towards a more environmentally conscious and sustainable society.

6.

Contribute to the priorities of sustainability and the fashion/design sector under the Creative Europe programme.

The ARCA Project begins by selecting three emerging fashion designers, one from each of the participating cities: Bologna, Barcelona, and Berlin. These designers will collaborate to create an open-design Agender Circular Capsule Wardrobe - a versatile collection of pieces that can be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits. Each designer will receive a grant and participate in a 6-week online mentorship program. This program will cover crucial topics such as non-binary approaches, modular and circular fashion, open design and social impact. Coordinated by Circular Berlin, the training will feature a diverse array of experts.

After the mentorship and co-creation process, Lantoki will refine the collection by developing patterns and prototypes to prepare it for production. To ensure the collection is both easily replicable and of high quality, the production phase will be tested through a sewing course, organised in Barcelona.

Additionally, two workshops will be held in Bologna, focusing on Business Modeling and Digital Marketing and Communication.

All teaching materials, including collection production guidelines, patterns, and textile suggestions, will be compiled into a digital tutorial and made available online for free public access. This initiative aims to make the collection accessible and replicable for anyone interested in exploring inclusive and circular fashion.

Finally, a concluding event will be organised in Bologna to showcase the project's results, further disseminate its outputs and promote a cultural change towards sustainable fashion.