The Curatorium #1
Culture, Commerce, and Craft: A curated guide to the Global South's most fascinating stories by Subject Matter
Welcome to The Curatorium, here we discover the hidden gems that sparked our curiousity and expanded our thinking this month. Each selection has earned its place through the quiet power to shift perspective or introduce unexpected delight.
As curator of the remarkable amid the ordinary and with a focus on the culture-tech in the Global South and sustainability, we share these profound and playful treasures with you.
What if you could trace your clothes from the moment they’re discarded to when they’re dumped in a landfill halfway across the world?
The textile industry is a major environmental offender, with 700,000 to 800,000 tons of textile waste ending up in landfills each year. The United Nations Environment Program attributes 2% to 8% of global emissions to the textile sector and projects this will rise.
It also uses an enormous 215 trillion liters of water annually, equivalent to 86 million Olympic swimming pools, and generates 9% of ocean microplastics.
In this fantastic article by EL PAÍS, we track what happens to their teams’ clothes once discarded in Spain, with tags that track them around the world.
To commemorate the International Zero-Waste Day (March 30th) we’re going to launch episode 3 of our podcast Custodians of Crafts, where we aim to connect with Raffaella Carluccio of Reverse Resources, where she explains the process and challenges of textile recycling in the world and how it impacts the global south.
Materra® Hydroponic Cotton Debuts on the COS SS25 Runway
After six years of innovation, Materra® Hydroponic Cotton made its commercial debut on the COS Spring/Summer 2025 runway in Athens marking a major milestone in sustainable fashion.
Materra was founded with the vision of growing cotton using hydroponic technology to reduce resource use in a climate-uncertain world. While the company has since scaled its regenerative cotton programme, hydroponics remains a key part of its future-forward approach to farming.
COS was the first brand to believe in Materra’s mission, partnering in 2021 to grow cotton for their iconic shirt. Now, that vision comes to life in both men’s and women’s collections, showing what’s possible when tech, sustainability, and fashion come together.
Brands + Fashion-tech we are lovin’ right now
Ohiri, Côte d’Ivoire: Paris- and Abidjan-based creative studio reinterpreting ancient body ornamentation through contemporary jewellery as both art and adornment.
Tagwalk, France : Founded by Alexandra Van Houtte in 2016, Tagwalk is a global fashion search platform that simplifies trend discovery while championing diversity, inclusivity, and emerging talent across the industry.
Rescha, France : A luxury fashion brand that depicts the experience of living between the French and Indian cultures, through the study of personal narratives and heritage textile techniques. Identity, multiculturalism, and artisanship are the foundations of the collections.
Think someone else would love this? Subscribe yourself, then share with reckless abandon!
That article from EL PAIS!
and me, feeling good when dumping my not used clothes in those bins...