Stage 3: Spinning
When you touch your clothing, do you know what you are touching?
Can you tell by touch alone?
Do you know what fossil fuels feel like?
Not all fabric begins in a field.
In Threads, Bogotá is where fibres are mixed and spun into yarn. Some fibres come from plants. Some come from animals. Some come from oil. Today, synthetic fibres such as polyester make up most of the world’s fibre production, and many are still made from fossil fuels. So a soft fabric can carry more than one beginning inside it.
Colombia is also living with climate pressure. The country is highly exposed to flooding, drought and landslides. That means the land and water systems people depend on are already being pushed around by a changing climate. In this part of the story, something smooth and wearable is being made from materials tied to extraction, exploitation, and risk.
Could you look at the label on one piece of clothing you already own?
Looking down at the clothes you are wearing...
Can you tell which fibres come from plants, which come from animals, and which come from oil?
Some people here are already taking action.
Fundación Humedales is a Bogotá-based group protecting wetlands and aquatic ecosystems through education, conservation and community action.
The next t-shirt you are looking for is Dhaka…
If you’re stuck, you can find the main navigation page for Threads here (link).