By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Mabi Swimwear is working with the indigenous activist Yarikazu Xipaya to raise awareness to the protection of the Amazon Rainforest.
Xipaya is an activist who is now working on her law degree to provide her with tools to better defend her people’s culture, as well as the environment of the rain forest in the Amazon river basin. Xipaya is also funding and launching a new organization, the Association for the Defense of Indigenous Peoples.
“I realized that I have to fight with pen and paper and not with bow and arrow,” Xipaya says.
To help in her cause, the MABI Swimwear brand, already known for its slogan SUSTAINABLE IS SEXY, is launching a limited collection of hand-painted swimsuits for this summer.
The unique licensing collaboration will see Mabi Swimwear swimsuits revealed as a canvas where indigenous painting art contributes both to the beauty of each unique piece and to the brand’s ongoing work to bring awareness to the protection of the Amazon Rainforest and its people. In this way, the company says it will add the aesthetics of indigenous art into its products, approaching young audiences and trend-conscious consumers with exclusive pieces.
The collaboration also has a practical side, as the company is donating 100% of the profits to supporting Xipaya’s ability to continue her legal education at the law school in Belem, Brazil. Xipaya is a member of the Yanomami tribe, and normally lives in a village in the Amazon rainforest, roughly 18 hours by bus from Belem.
“She studies to promote the development of her village, to reverse environmental and political decisions, preserve ancestral traditions, and defend humanitarian and ecological causes,” Mabi says. “She makes paintings with sustainable materials to raise funds to complete her studies and to form the Association for the Defense of indigenous peoples for a better world that respects nature and the rights of these peoples.”
The limited edition YARIKAZU X MABI SWIMWEAR collection is another philanthropic undertaking by a brand already known for its sustainability philosophy and love for nature. With its products inspired by the diverse beauty contained in our planet Earth, MABI argues that fashion can be a force for good and can be used to raise awareness about environmental preservation.
“We are nature lovers. Inspired by all the beauty contained in our planet Earth, we believe that fashion can be a force for the perfect way to spread the word for environmental conservation”, says Mabi founder Maristela Soares. “With the Amazon at the heart of our sustainable mission, partnering with indigenous peoples offers one of the most socially responsible and highest-leverage opportunities to address the major drivers that impact the Amazon Rainforest.”
Update: Jerry Garcia’s Rainforest Benefit Sandals Sell Out in Hours