Three friends triumph in Bilbao: Clothing and Bag Customisation Workshops with Unlimited Wine

‘This type of workshop is organised in many cities, but we saw that there was a gap in Bilbao. Now we are going to start organising them in Vitoria and, most probably, also in San Sebastian and Pamplona’, they say. They believe it is a fun and simple way to create a new awareness among the young and not so young. ‘Every Spaniard throws 14 kilos of clothes away every year and that is why we want to encourage the reuse of garments and ethical and conscious consumption of fashion’, they point out. However, they are well aware that young people have limited purchasing power and that they often prioritise the price factor over other issues, such as supporting the work of local creators. ‘Our idea was to approach, above all, young people, but we have seen that the majority of people who come are between 25 and 40 years old. And very few men, they should be encouraged’, they comment.

What can three 20-year-olds do to raise awareness of the serious consequences of consuming fast fashion? Irati Arias, Irati Zamalloa and June Zubizarreta, from Vitoria, Durango and Azpeitia respectively, asked themselves that question when they started to dive into the ‘seams’ that sustain today's textile industry, created mostly in the third world for the benefit of the first. ‘We met at the University of Mondragon in Oñati, where we are studying entrepreneurship. As we liked the world of fashion, we combined it with our passion for entrepreneurship and created the Re-vuela workshops. They were born after researching what was being done in other cities to raise awareness among people’, she explains. The plan they have been proposing for a month now is very simple, but with a lot of depth behind it: every Thursday afternoon at Dock, at Paseo de Uribitarte number 3, they organise a two-hour workshop to learn how to customise garments or ‘tote bags’. And watch out, with unlimited wine for all participants!

Without expecting it, a video of the first workshop they started went viral and so far they have filled all the sessions. ‘At the beginning, the workshops were for 10 people, but we have now expanded to 15 and we are already thinking of offering places for 20’, they explain. The first thing they do when they arrive at the workshop is to make a toast with the participants and then these very young entrepreneurs briefly explain what their project consists of. The next step is to show examples and different techniques to give a new look to garments that have been forgotten in the wardrobe and deserve a second chance. ‘We explain embroidery techniques, how to use patches and studs or how to paint any garment or tote bag to give it a new and different look, trying to turn it into a unique piece. We offer all the material, without limit, including the wine’, they explain. The idea is to meet people, have a good time and learn techniques that we can then apply to other garments in our own home.

Private workshops

The Re-vuela workshops initiative also extends to private events at weekends, for birthday groups, hen parties... In December, as they have received many requests, they will also be holding a workshop to customise Christmas-inspired jumpers. But the ideas are still boiling in the heads of the three young women. ‘Given the success of Re-vuela, we are thinking of expanding our range of events, for example, with fashion shows of local designer brands, because many times we don't know all the possibilities we have around us to buy quality clothes’, they emphasise.

Irati Arias, Irati Zamalloa and June Zubizarreta's determination to show and raise awareness of the dangers of fast fashion consumption will not stop here. In January, as part of a project promoted by the Basque Government and the University of Mondragón, they will go to India for a few weeks to film a documentary. ‘We want to show the contrasts of the textile industry in a city like Bangladesh, where most of the clothes sold in the big shops here are produced. We will go with Audiovisual Communication students to get to know the situation first hand and document it so that everyone can see it with their own eyes.

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