SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL – What’s the price of fashion in a world drowning in excess? For Atacama RE-commerce, the answer is zero. Conceived by Artplan, this groundbreaking initiative is turning textile waste into opportunity by giving discarded garments a second chance while spotlighting the dark side of overproduction. The platform, powered by VTEX in partnership with Fashion Revolution Brazil and Desierto Vestido, allows users to claim salvaged apparel from the Atacama Desert for free, covering only the shipping costs. A simple click doesn’t just unlock stylish pieces – it rescues them from a sea of waste.
The Atacama Desert in Chile has become a symbol of the fashion industry’s waste crisis, with an estimated 39,000 tons of discarded clothing accumulating there annually. Many of these garments, some never worn, originate from fast fashion markets across the U.S., Europe, and Asia—products of an industry that thrives on relentless overproduction and disposable trends.
“We believe that every piece has a story and a purpose. Our mission is to rescue these items and give them a second chance, promoting awareness about the excessive consumerism driven by the fashion industry today,” says Mariano Gomide de Faria, CEO of VTEX, the company responsible for the project’s digital platform.
The Atacama RE-commerce operation involves a careful process of selecting and restoring the garments. A specialized team curates the items, ensuring they are in good condition for resale. The pieces are cleaned, organized, and made available on the digital platform. Consumers can visit the site, choose the products, and only pay the shipping cost – the clothes themselves are offered for free.
“Initiatives like Re-Commerce are essential for rethinking the way we consume fashion. The environmental impact of the textile industry is enormous, and promoting sustainable alternatives is a way to reduce waste and preserve natural resources and local communities, which are affected by these issues,” says Ángela Astudillo, co-founder of Desierto Vestido, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, raising awareness, and encouraging the circular economy in the textile industry.
“We want to go beyond e-commerce: our initiative invites reflection on the impacts of our current model of production, consumption, and excessive waste. We are living in a Climate Emergency, and the fashion industry needs more robust commitments. This action is a way to draw attention to what lies behind the clothes and provoke new ways of relating to them,” comments Fernanda Simon, executive director of Fashion Revolution Brazil, a Brazilian organization that is part of the world’s largest fashion activist movement.”
According to Rodrigo Almeida, Monte, CCO of Artplan, creativity goes beyond design or aesthetics. “We took a real problem and turned it into a story that connects, engages, and raises awareness. Atacama RE-commerce is not just a reuse project but a way to give a voice to discarded items, to tell the story of these clothes, and at the same time, provoke a more critical look at consumption. The campaign proposes a new meaning for what is considered waste, showing that each piece carries value, memory, and potential for a new beginning,” says Almeida.
The website can be accessed via link Recommerce | FastStore. The first drop sold out in less than 5 hours – being distributed to more than 10 countries – and new drops will be provided so that the site remains in existence.
CREDITS
Production credits – Atacama Re-commerce
Agency: Artplan
Advertiser: VTEX, Fashion Revolution, and Desierto Vestido
Campaign: Atacama Re-commerce
Dreamers Group CCOs: Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil
Artplan CCOs: Marcello Noronha, Rafael Gil, Rodrigo Almeida
Creative Direction: Victor Emeka, Pedro Maneschy, Pedro Galdi, Pedro Rosas
Creative Team: Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil, Marcello Noronha, Victor Emeka, Bruno Bacci, Thomás Davini
Design: Bruno Bacci, Victor Emeka
CEO Artplan SP: Gláucia Montanha
Head of Business: Anna Sant’anna
Business Team: Isabel Domingues
National Head of Planning: Paula Lagrotta
Head of Media: Joana Chulam
Project Director: Aurora Blotta
Project Manager: Andrea Hedler
Creative Data Director: Carolina Amorim
Content Director: Mayara Sauer
Head of RTV: Felipe Cunha
Head of Production: Bruno Werner
PR: Cláudia Nascimento and Luciana Thomaz
VTEX Team: Mariano Gomide de Faria, Marina Baltz, Felipe Soares, and Sebastián Cervantes
Fashion Revolution Team: Fernanda Simon, Paula Leal, Isabella Luglio, Marina de Luca, Ana Fernanda Souza, and Claudia Castanheira
Desierto Vestido Team: Ângela Astudillo, Bastián Barria Acevedo, and Jean Karla Zambrana Aviles
E-Commerce Platform Production: VTEX and Eitri
Film Production Company: Sugarcane
Audio Production: Raw Audio
Graphic Production: Digital Printz
