PRIO transforms discarded overalls into fashion pieces and opportunities for entrepreneurial women

10 Oct 2025

PRIO launched a circular economy project that transforms old work overalls into fashion products and school supplies. The initiative is carried out in partnership with Instituto Dona de Si, Carandaí 25, and Pipa Social, and aims to connect creativity, training, and female entrepreneurship.

In the first phase, over 60 participants from Instituto Dona de Si, an accelerator and promoter of female talents, received technical and creative training at Lab PRIO, with classes in modeling, sewing, and dyeing. The project provides access to machines and tools that allow for the continuity of production in an autonomous manner, fostering the reuse of materials and the appreciation of manual labor.

The second phase took place during the opening of the Carandaí 25 festival, held at the Jockey Club in Rio de Janeiro, when the brand Sucrè, by designer Patricia Viero, was drawn to co-create backpacks and pencil cases made from repurposed overalls. The production will be led by Pipa Social, a platform that promotes the work of seamstresses and artisans from peripheral communities. The result of this collaboration will be the donation of 150 backpacks and 450 pencil cases to children and teenagers from social projects supported by PRIO, with delivery scheduled for the beginning of the 2026 school year.

The third and final phase of the project will begin in January 2026, with a new stage of creative training and productive insertion. One of the brands from Carandaí 25 will be chosen to conduct workshops on product development, technical sheets, pilot pieces, and fashion show organization. The result will be a collaborative collection made with repurposed PPE from PRIO, which will be presented in May 2026, at Carandaí 25, with the proceeds going to the Instituto Dona de Si.