Cangiari Ethical High Fashion

Cangiari is the most important Italian ethical high fashion brand.

Cangiari means “to change” in the Calabrian dialect, and after the caps of Coppola Storta, I want to share with you the beautiful story of another ethical brand Made in Italy, because Italian fashion is not only about tradition but also about change!

Calabria is a stunning region of southern Italy with a strong and welcoming people, but it is also a land torn by serious social and economic problems.

Several years ago, a group of social cooperatives founded GOEL, a business community that began to change Calabria by challenging the mafia forces that operate there, the ‘ndrangheta and the deviant masons.

The ‘ndrangheta flourishes under the radar and GOEL manages to prevent its escalation with the support of a media network and through strong community building efforts, both of which demonstrate that there is a legitimate alternative to mafia culture.

Until fifty years ago many Calabrian families owned a hand loom at home and produced their own fabrics, but the tradition was slowly being forgotten and sinking into oblivion. A group of young Calabrian women turned to GOEL to save the ancient tradition of hand weaving.

Historically, the queens of the loom were the “majistre” old mythical figures, hand-loom teachers who handed down the fabric designs to be woven through lullaby from generation to generation.

With the support of GOEL, these young women have saved the great heritage of Greek and Byzantine fabrics and created the first Italian high fashion ethical brand: Cangiari.