Linkedin: Carmen Artigas   

CARMEN ARTIGAS - CIRCULAR FASHION DESIGNER AND CONSULTANT

Carmen Artigas, born in Mexico City and educated in Milan, brings over 20 years of international design experience to her role as a multidisciplinary designer, researcher, and consultant. Her portfolio includes collaborations with renowned brands spanning from luxury to mass market, such as Donna Karan, Swatch, Kate Spade, Home Depot, and Walmart.

Dedicated to integrating circular design practices within the fashion industry, Carmen provides strategic guidance to companies seeking sustainable transformation. She specializes in developing sustainable products, enhancing transparency and traceability in supply chains, and improving environmental impact throughout the manufacturing process while prioritizing productivity and working conditions.

Carmen's expertise extends to advising start-ups, established brands, trade organizations, and cultural and educational institutions. Her mission is to foster resilient businesses that uphold cultural respect, gender equality, and sustainable practices while minimizing their environmental footprint.

Driven by a passion for profitable innovation and meaningful cultural intervention, Carmen is committed to promoting cultural sensitivity and diversity within the fashion industry while preventing cultural misappropriation and neocolonialism.

Personal Highlights:

• 1999: Initiated her sustainable fashion journey in India, studying natural dyes and collaborating with artisan non-profits. Launched a lifestyle collection using certified organic handloom cotton and natural indigo at Biofach in Germany.

• 2010: Pioneered sustainable design curricula and undergraduate programs at three major design universities in New York: Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons, and Pratt.

• 2014: Addressed Cultural Appropriation at the Textile Society of America's Biennial Symposium at UCLA, raising awareness about cultural insensitivity in the fashion industry. At the time, the topic was considered taboo in the fashion industry, but today it is at the forefront of the fashion agenda.

• 2020: Launched the Biocultural Heritage Project, with the aim of showcasing 'Indigenous Ways of Knowing' and exploring the intricate relationship between nature and culture. This project addresses pressing concerns, including climate change, which threatens the availability and quality of natural materials essential for traditional textile and craft production worldwide. By highlighting these challenges, the project emphasizes the importance of preserving culturally meaningful practices, indigenous languages, and biodiversity.

• As a former shoe museum curator in Mexico City, I remain actively engaged in sharing my insights through lectures at various universities and museums, where I delve into the captivating realm of fashion anthropology through the lens of footwear.

• Featured in multiple biographies and a documentary about Alexander McQueen, a close friend and colleague.


#CircularFashion #SustainableFootwear #LuxuryMarket #MidLuxuryMarket

#Smallscale #Handcraftedluxury #Artisanal

#CulturalSensitivity #CulturalAppropriation

#BioculturalDesign #BioculturalResearch #BiocultureAgenda

#FashionAnthropology #Handmade #WellnessTextiles #AyurvedicDyes

#EmpathicDesign #RestorativeByDesign #PositiveImpact