Marlandia

In the words of founder Silvinha Oliveira, "People from thefavela... There's a destiny of being poor, not being able to go to university, or get a good job. We're fighting to destroy the mentality that a person from thefaveladoesn't have the right to be someone.”

The mission behind Marlandia and its collaboration with Retalhos Cariocas is centered on using capitalism for good to impact and transform lives in the favela slums of Rio de Janeiro. Our goals are to empower slum dwellers with job skills through teaching free seamstress courses, to create fair wage jobs that are a real alternative to the main money-making opportunities for slum dwellers, namely the drug trade and prostitution, and to reduce waste through a sustainable sourcing strategy that uses upcycled materials from Brazil's biggest fashion brands.

Our vision is to create a market demand both inside and outside Brazil for Retalhos Cariocas ethically produced, sustainable products. Consumer interest in Retalhos Cariocas products fundamentally serves as a direct micro-investment empowering local people in the favela slums; the more market demand we can create, the more women Retalhos Cariocas can employ sustainably, and the more peoples lives we can transform.