Interview with Paola Cirelli, fashion designer and founder of the Maldita Moda project

Alumni Paola Cirelli began her career in fashion design in 2007, initially focusing on curating collections. Over time, she specialized in branding and design thinking, becoming known for promoting sustainable fashion. Through initiatives like the podcast “Maldita Moda Club” and its eponymous book, Paola inspires a shift towards a more ethical and conscious industry where design is aesthetic, sustainable, and socially responsible. Discover more about her journey in this interview.

In 2007, I founded my studio somewhat serendipitously. With friends, we had the idea to open a store in Bahía Blanca, my hometown 800 km from Buenos Aires. Within our team, I curated collections from designers to sell. I seized the opportunity and developed a clothing capsule called “paolacill,” which initially sold well but eventually lost momentum due to weak branding, prompting me to discontinue it. From then on, I realized that branding empowers everything we do—it provides a platform from which we create, turning products into tangible messages that people buy.

The fashion industry differs from others like mass-market products such as pasta or yogurt, as branding permeates the garments and is integral to the collection. Therefore, branding isn’t just about discourse, messaging, or marketing communication but is also part of the collection’s strategy. This understanding led me to explore various projects bridging fashion and branding. Each challenge, from consulting to finished products, helped shape my path, continually evolving alongside societal needs. Thus, I developed our studio’s proprietary method, the Sewing Method, integrating branding, collection, and marketing through sustainability.

Sustainability is another key point—communicating without resorting to clichés that everyone else uses, making it not just a differentiator but a necessity. Additionally, design thinking offers insight into current issues. The fusion of branding and design thinking enhances my daily work, continually evolving. Sustainability isn’t a trend but a value intrinsic to any industry project. In 2008, I began researching independently and encountered Alameda, a cooperative of individuals rescued from slavery, exposing a dark side of fashion that I chose to highlight and act upon, promoting an alternative fashion model. For 17 years, I have been an advocate for sustainable fashion.

The primary goal was to spread the message that another fashion is possible. The podcast was an intriguing, direct new medium to share my research, work, and sustainability developments, a topic seldom discussed before the pandemic. Since encountering the Alameda Cooperative in 2008, I felt compelled to expose the fashion industry’s cruelty in enslaving and harming people. I am angered by indifference, journalistic dependence, and the system’s opacity, perpetuating benefits for the few.

The podcast reached a global audience across 53 countries with over 26,000 listeners, according to Spotify and Ivoox statistics. Subsequently, I established the club, creating a space for like-minded individuals to share, discuss, and learn together. Our diverse group of women from different countries finds these discussions highly enriching, offering new perspectives. These communication projects aim to disseminate and create more change agents—a network inspiring others to join sustainable fashion. Communication is crucial in building community, which continues to grow. Reflecting on when I began advocating for sustainable fashion 17 years ago, there was minimal interest in listeners. Today, it’s different, and I am delighted that sustainability is in vogue.

First and foremost, it is important to care for the people involved in the fashion industry—from agriculture to finished products and circularity. I cannot accept a brand showcasing “sustainable” collections made by impoverished individuals, even children. This is something I will never tolerate. Many companies perpetuate this production method to increase profitability. Luxury brands have even been accused of using these practices. Books like “Fashionopolis” by Dana Thomas “Deluxe” and “No Logo” by Naomi Klein shed light on the behind-the-scenes reality of fashion.

In addressing context and needs, design thinking, or eco-design, is crucial. Designers must be responsibly aware that our ideas manifest within a specific industry and are consumed by particular individuals. Therefore, our actions must reduce negative impacts, utilizing design to enhance society rather than impoverish or harm ecosystems.

Certain brands’ opacity regarding their processes, greenwashing, and unwillingness to pay fair wages perpetuate poverty, making fashion one of the leading industries in exploitation and pollution. Business models seeking maximum profit at any cost pose significant obstacles. Overcoming these challenges requires prioritizing people, the environment, and balanced, inclusive growth.

Design thinking is crucial in creating every collection. It reminds us that our ideas materialize within an industry grounded in people and the Earth. Designers must understand that we don’t just sketch garments or create styles; we design garments for people to wear naturally, making them essential to daily life for every inhabitant of the Earth. My “Decalogue of Good Fashion Design,” explained on page 126 of “Maldita Moda,” underscores our immense responsibility in every design commission.

When working for other companies, are we genuinely conscious of ethics and good design? Human-centered design places people at the heart of the problem. Design enters fashion to transform it, moving beyond aesthetics to incorporate functionality, aesthetics, technical aspects, sustainability, and all aspects of design. Design serves society.

Decalogue of Good Fashion Design:

1. Good design is sustainable: It minimizes consumption of virgin natural resources, reduces carbon footprint, and supports legal workshops with dignified wages for all involved in production and sales.

2. Good design is aesthetic: It must always embody beauty and harmony.

3. Good design is functional: It meets human body needs without limiting, discomforting, or harming.

4. Good design is inclusive: It accommodates different body types, irrespective of sizing.

5. Good design is innovative: It proposes changes addressing societal needs and solves contemporary problems.

6. Good design is communicative: It serves as a means of personal expression.

7. Good design is durable: It has a lifespan that transcends trends.

8. Good design is responsible and ethical: It considers sustainability impacts, healthy production chains, distribution, sales, and post-consumer waste management.

9. Good design is regenerative and circular. It contributes to environmental regeneration and can be reused through upcycling or recycling.

10. Good design is adaptive: It accommodates various barriers, including disabilities.

All stories are impactful as they champion sustainable fashion, aiming to carve out market share from traditional fashion. Thus, the more sustainable brands in the market, the less negative the impact on our ecosystem and the greater the social impact through fair employment and improved quality of life, particularly for women. Almost all the brands we’ve guided or created are led by women, which in itself is an inspiring narrative—entrepreneurial women launching projects that will change history due to their sustainability.

Design is rebellious, constantly challenging the status quo, thinking holistically, integrating, social, sustainable, and innovative.