Martinique | 2024 | Visual Arts

Nets of the future: sustainable fashion and second chance

How can fashion design help women experiencing precarity regain confidence while also raising awareness about the harms of plastic pollution in Martinique? This bold leap is carried out with enthusiasm by Jaddict, an artist with boundless energy.

12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

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Nets of the future: sustainable fashion and second chance

Breaking free from the nets

Lire +

Among the major issues facing Martinique, marine pollution is particularly concerning. Plastic waste accumulates on the island’s beaches and in its waters, harming marine biodiversity. Among these pollutants, abandoned fishing nets represent a direct threat to the marine ecosystem and to the fishers who depend on it.

Another challenge, seemingly far removed from the first, concerns the precarity and marginalisation experienced by women who have migrated from neighbouring regions. These women, living in vulnerable conditions and often victims of violence, face many obstacles in regaining economic and social autonomy.

Bringing these two issues together, fashion designer Jade Jacobelli, known as JADDICT, and the local association Antilles et d’Ailleurs (Da&Da), proposed to the Metis Fund the project Nets of the Future: Sustainable Fashion and Second Chance — an innovative initiative that bridges art, environment, and social reintegration.

Artist
Jade Jacobelli alias JADDICT

Partners
Da&Da (project lead), local fishermen, EFPMA Martinique, Caribbean Art Campus

Participants
Jade Jacobelli (JADDICT), women in social reintegration, local fishing communities, general public

Agency
AFD Martinique

Fighting social and environmental challenges with style

sustainable fashion outfits created from recycled ocean waste

women benefiting from professional training

large-scale fashion show in Saint-Pierre

Led by the Da&Da association, the initiative uses sustainable fashion and design as tools to support expression and socio-professional reintegration for women in vulnerable situations. The project consists of transforming abandoned fishing nets and other marine waste into a collection of eco-responsible clothing and accessories, while offering participants training in sewing and design.

First, sewing and design workshops—guided by designers and visual artists—allow the women to acquire skills in sewing and upcycling (reusing discarded materials to create objects or products of higher value), while taking ownership of the creative process. They work alongside local fishers, who share their expertise in repairing and weaving nets.

In addition, fifteen outfits and accessories are created from the recovered materials, blending artisanal know-how with textile innovation. This sustainable collection is unveiled during a socially engaged fashion show. Held by the sea in Saint-Pierre, the event brought together artists, journalists, influencers, and local representatives to showcase the creations and raise awareness about marine pollution and social reintegration.

Finally, the collection and its creation process were presented in schools and public spaces across Martinique, accompanied by informational panels explaining the project’s environmental and social challenges.
By actively involving local communities, fishers, and artists, Nets of the Future aims to have a lasting impact in Martinique by promoting a circular economy and offering a second chance to women seeking a better future.