Shall we go shopping? It seems that this phrase is losing steam, what was previously a plan as such, could now be even frowned upon, buying for the sake of buying, filling the closets that are already full, brand new things without stopping and hearing phrases like “I have nothing to wear.” What has led many of us to change the chip, beyond the drop in purchasing power, has been awareness. There is a real movement of responsible consumption, of thinking about whether we really need so many things and so often. I recently had the opportunity to talk for a while with Leire Urzaiz, an engineer from Bilbao, she worked in the fashion industry, traveling and shopping around the world to launch seasonal collections from brands that we all know. After many years on that wheel, he decided to stop and leave, to enter a slower one, that of self-creation, that of living from another place, closer to his truth, where his body would not somatize the stress and where he would be well again. Today she is the co-founder of a sustainable jewelry and fashion brand, called “Caru Atelier”, which encourages everyone to think carefully before buying.
Its inspiration comes from timeless craftsmanship, from jewelry in museums dating back several centuries BC, from a branch of a tree or a drop of light. Craftsmanship and sustainability are always at the center. It all begins with a creative process of documentation, goes through a freehand drawing, which reaches a craft workshop in India, where everything is made and polished by hand with stones, metal and a 24-karat gold plating that ends in a ring, earrings or a necklace.
Other times, she works with resins, recycled fabrics from Zimbabwe with which she makes bags… in all cases, the premise is the same: “Let it last, let it be for every day, let it pass from mothers to daughters, let it represent you and tell your story…”. Thinking before buying makes me think.