Eco Elegance event aims to stitch sustainability into style

China

Eco Elegance event aims to stitch sustainability into style

2025-05-18 14:02 Last Updated At：23:37

Models in vibrant batik gowns made fashion statements in support of sustainability as they hit the runway in the Sierra Leone capital Freetown on Saturday, marking a bold attempt to turn the production of eye-turning dresswear from a major polluter to a weapon against climate change.

The Eco Elegance fashion show, inspired by Miss World Sierra Leone 2024, showcased designs made entirely from eco-friendly materials, proving that style doesn't have to cost the Earth.

The event celebrates local talent while encouraging a shift away from fast fashion towards more mindful, ethical choices. Some of the initiative's most vocal proponents are the contestants themselves.

"This is about reinventing things. This is about putting things together. This is about our environment. It means so much more, and I want people to know that," said Rosaline Koroma, Miss Freetown second runner-up.

"As a model, I am very passionate about the environment, and this is why I'm here till the end. And I'm also looking forward to more of these shows in Sierra Leone," said Joseph Sesay, a model at Shades Of Ben.Hin.Mas, a local fashion company.

According to the United Nations, fashion is one of the world's largest polluters, accounting for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions, second only to the crude oil industry. Recycling, upcycling, and reusing are seen by many as sustainable solutions for a more environmentally responsible future.

Behind the scenes, local designers like Kadiatu Kamara, CEO of luxury brand Vivid Emporium, are pushing sustainable fashion forward with expertise in batik -- a traditional dying technique that uses wax resist -- as well as other wearable art styles.

"Fashion and tourism and just eco-elegance, always for me, tie in together very well. I'm wearing a batik piece that is obviously designed by Vivid Emporium, and it's a sustainable fashion. We are working with local batik and tie dye makers here to create these amazing prints," she said.

Organizers said the event directly challenges fast fashion's environmental toll through upcycled fabrics and traditional West African dye techniques.

Daisy Mujeh Abdulai, CEO of Eco Elegance and Miss World Sierra Leone 2024, said that she sees fashion as an overlooked weapon in the climate fight when sharing her inspiration for the show.

"I believe when people talk about sustainability, it doesn't come to their mind that fashion is included in that, and we are one big people who can change the narrative. We who are the models, who are pageant queens, I believe if we push forward making the awareness of what we wear and what we produce, how the designs are made to be sustainable, then I think we can contribute to the fight against climate change and of course the motive of saving our planet," Abdulai said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.