A textile collective for Eldorado-Diadema, Brazil

On July 30th, ACER held an emotional farewell party for our teacher/manager Carol, whose professional expertise, dedication, and commitment have played a key role in the success of Eldorado Textiles since it was founded in 2017. Carol’s administrative workload grew considerably over the years, and in recent months routine tasks such as purchasing materials and managing commissions have gradually been taken over by the teaching team. This transition has increased local autonomy and offered team members more opportunities to develop skills and gain experience.

The first challenge our team faced without Carol was a commission from ACER for capoeira trousers. Capoeira, which originated as an African martial art used by enslaved people in Brazil for self-defence, is now an art form that incorporates dance, music, and chant. Creating the traditional white trousers for capoeira is more complex than it appears, as they have both inner and outer tie belts and a circular patch reinforcing the place where the two leg sections meet and the seams are subjected to stress from acrobatic dance movements. Our five teachers worked together to address construction issues and discuss pricing. Higor drafted a pattern and created a test version, but he lacked specific experience of capoeira garments. However, Dona Ede, who has made capoeira trousers for her grandson, provided valuable advice on their construction and the time needed to make one pair. Completing this challenging commission was an invaluable learning experience for our teaching team.

Our team rose to the challenge, successfully delivering capoeira trousers in seven different sizes for 71 children and young people participating in ACER’s capoeira "baptism," or graduation ceremony, on September 1st. During this joyful event, the novices, one of whom was the daughter of Aline, an Eldorado Embroiderer, received their first cord belts and watched capoeira demonstrations, followed by a celebration with cakes and natural fruit juices made by ACER community members.

The shift of responsibilities from Carol to our local teaching team was a major milestone in the development of our Collective. We are deeply grateful for your generous support that assists our long-term aims.