Fort Pienc premieres its “Undressing Gender” catwalk
The Fort Pienc neighbourhood will be turning fashion on its head this Friday, 20 April, with its “Undressing Gender” catwalk. This is the central idea of the initiative that earned the Fort Pienc Shopping Hub and the Upcycling Barcelona Association the 8 March - Maria Aurèlia Capmany Prize. A sustainable fashion project run in collaboration with the neighbourhood's associations which stands up to gender, age and origin stereotypes and seeks to turn the concept of aesthetics on its head.
This is a different kind of fashion event that the neighbourhood’s shops, associations and local residents aim to use to make people think again about the clichés and demonstrate good sustainable fashion practices that are more egalitarian in terms of gender, age, sexual orientation and origins. The goal, in short, is to show the public that there is an alternative fashion, to suit all tastes and that beauty is something everyone can express in their own way. The Upcycling Association promotes creativity in old clothes, aims to break away from stereotypes and creates different items from what can normally be found in shops.
The catwalk is the central event
The 20 April day event includes a variety of activities, although the central event taking place at 6.30 pm, in Plaça Fort Pienc, will be a sustainable, vintage “upcycling” catwalk that is gender-fluid (a style that avoids pigeonholing clothes according to sexist segregation) organised by Fort Pienc neighbourhood retailers . It will be presented by the actress Rosa Vila.
Taking part will be Barcelona's Huaxing group of artists, along with parades from Qipaos, the Bangladesh Women’s Association, Saris, the Dancing Ganesh Association, which has organised a Bollywood show with dances from India, and finally a parade and entertainment performed by “Descabelladas”, with music from DJ Judith Rudith.
More activities
10 am to 8 pm. A textile crafts and social and solidarity economy display with associations and crafts people from the sector taking part.
4 pm to 8 pm. Arpilleras gathering and exhibition.
5 pm to 7 pm. Creating an arpillera (sackcloth cover) based on the “Undressing Gender” theme, run by "Las Arpilleras", from the Ateneu Sant Roc de Badalona Foundation, and "Teixint Vincles", from the Sagrada Família neighbourhood.
5 pm to 6.30 pm Children’s Workshops.
-Dress as you like. Creating an item of clothing with cut-out patterns and recycled fabrics. Run by Upcycling Barcelona.
-”Contacontes divers@s per la diversitat” (Counter-stories for diversity], aimed at children, accompanied by adults, who would like to hear a story (helped along with illustrated books) that talks about LGBTI+ diversities. Run by the Catalan Association for the Integration of Homosexual, Bisexual and Transsexual Immigrants (ACATHI).
-Cookery workshop: Hotchpotch of world cuisines. Run by Mescladís.
The idea is to hold several talks with Lola González Moya (a psychologist at Espai Psikos), Sofia Caparrós from Upcycling Barcelona and FatiNor (a pharmacist and YouTuber) taking part, on 19 April in the morning and afternoon at the Institut Fort Pienc, and on 14 May at Escola Mireia. Check out their times at eixfortpienc.com.
