The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Crafts of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria inaugurated the Conference on Entrepreneurship, sustainability and circular economy
“The 'Gran Canaria Moda Cálida' program has become a hallmark of our Island,” said Minerva Alonso, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Crafts of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, at the inauguration of the conference on 'Entrepreneurship, sustainability and circular economy' that are held at the XXX Summer University of Maspalomas.
Minerva Alonso explained that the actions of this initiative “are a complement to our tourist destination”, around which “in recent years, we have managed to generate an important economy with the increase of companies, give prominence to new talents and increase the number of scholarship recipients in training centers.”
The counselor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria highlighted the actions carried out in the formation of companies. “We have excellent creatives in Gran Canaria, but business training was a pending issue” and, furthermore, a process in which “it has been very important to go hand in hand with the Association of Fashion Creators of Spain (ACME).” Minerva Alonso highlighted that Swimwear Fashion Week has become an international benchmark, with the support of ACME.
On the other hand, the counselor explained the importance of the projects developed by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria in training, sustainability issues and circular economy projects.
These sessions also included the intervention of Moisés Nieto, fashion designer; and Isabel Berz, designer and researcher.
Moisés Nieto acknowledged that, in 2015, "I realized that the idea of being sustainable in fashion was growing, with the rise of recycled fabrics,"
an issue that, as he explained, until then was not known in the fashion community. In this way, Moisés entered the national competition “with a proposal made, 80% with recycled materials based on plastic bottles.” Since that moment, the Gran Canaria designer tries to ensure that each collection has a percentage of sustainable fabric.
The creator highlighted that "another important part of my collections is collaboration, that is why we have always tried to partner with small brands to grow together", since "there are many young people interested in valuing craftsmanship, working on it and evolving it."
Isabel Berz, in turn, highlighted her collaboration with the ReFream project , “a European initiative that unites art and technology.” She defines herself as a champion of innovation, “which is why she brings in artists and creative minds who can rethink fashion, generating sustainable and circular processes.”
The designer and researcher stated that they have launched two platforms. In one, it promotes collaboration with people who work in different fields, “to achieve empathy and eliminate hierarchies.” The second platform “works to connect all the innovation projects that exist.”