The Ibiza Fashion Festival celebrated its twelfth edition this Thursday evening with an open-air fashion show in the gardens of BIBO Park, the biotechnological botanical garden of Sant Rafel. Under the slogan «Make an impression, not an imprint», the event was once again committed to textile sustainability, incorporating biotechnological proposals into the show for the first time.
The fashion show brought together swimwear, jewellery and accessories collections from local and international brands such as FrancesKa, Noma Botanic, Smokin' Suits Ibiza, Greta, Libia Betancourt, Calvacante, Watches of Ibiza, Lydia's Style and Mira Ibiza. In total, a dozen designers presented their proposals, all with a commitment to reduce the environmental impact of their garments.
Among them, London-based Libia Betancourt, from the Canary Islands, debuted with a line ‘very festive, with bright colours, prints and recycled materials from the sea’. «We want to leave the world a little better than we found it», she explained. «You can dress stylishly without renouncing sustainability», he stressed.
One of the great attractions of this edition was the integration of biotechnology by Bioo, represented by its CEO, Pablo Vidarte, who explained how living and bioluminescent plants participated in the setting of the fashion show. «Fashion is ultimately technology, and here we used nature to make the plants part of the show, with lights that are activated by human touch, creating a unique sensory experience», said Vidarte. She added that, although they originally wanted the entire show to be lit with bioluminescent plants, due to the time of the event they were reserved for the closing.
Karen Windle, promoter and organiser of the festival, recalled the purpose of the event: «We want to showcase all the progress that has been made to make fashion more sustainable and encourage genuine commitment. Ibiza, with its international influence, is an exceptional platform to drive this change». Regarding the choice of venue, she added: «BIBO Park is the ideal place because it combines nature, science and technology, reflecting the festival's philosophy».
In addition, the day included a panel with experts from Greenpeace, Ibiza Botanical Biotech, PETA and Ruby Moon, as well as workshops for emerging brands and for creating organic body oils.
With the sale of tickets, Ibiza Fashion Festival donates funds to the conservation of posidonia.