A recent Instagram post by The Guardian US, garnering over 93,000 likes, highlighted a pressing issue in Chile – the vast quantities of used clothing being shipped into the country. Each year, Chile imports around 60,000 tonnes of secondhand clothes, making it the third largest importer of such items globally, according to the latest UN figures. While some of these clothes are resold in secondhand markets, a significant portion, approximately 39,000 tonnes, ends up illegally dumped in the Atacama Desert.

This practice has stigmatized the region, portraying it as one of the world’s dirtiest places. Ángela Astudillo, co-founder of Desierto Vestido, a non-governmental organization dedicated to raising awareness about this environmental crisis, describes the situation as dire. “This place is being used as a global sacrifice zone where waste from different parts of the world arrives and ends up around the municipality of Alto Hospicio,” she explains. Residents near the dump sites endure the sight of trucks unloading rubbish and the constant inhalation of smoke from burning clothes.

In response to this crisis, Desierto Vestido collaborated with Fashion Revolution Brazil and the Brazilian advertising agency Artplan to stage a fashion show amid the waste. This event, dubbed Atacama Fashion Week 2024, aimed to draw attention to the environmental impact of textile waste and to demonstrate creative ways to repurpose discarded clothing.

The show featured designs by Maya Ramos, a stylist and visual artist from São Paulo, Brazil. Ramos crafted each outfit to symbolize different types of Pollution and their impact on the environment. The event was not only a fashion statement but also a stark visual representation of the urgent need for systemic change in how the world handles textile waste.

The influx of discarded clothing in Chile is part of a larger global issue. The fashion industry is a major polluter, responsible for about 20% of the planet’s wastewater and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. The rise of fast fashion has exacerbated the problem, with consumers buying 60% more clothing than two decades ago, leading to 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. Much of this waste ends up in the global south, creating severe environmental and social challenges.

Efforts to combat the problem include local authorities in Chile imposing fines for illegal dumping and the introduction of the “Law of Extended Responsibility of the Producer,” which holds importers accountable for waste management. However, this law does not yet cover clothing and textiles, leaving a significant gap in addressing the issue.

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