The World Sustainability Organization returns to centre stage during the days of Milan Fashion Week with a collective runway show featuring 13 carefully selected brands, ready to unveil their new Spring/Summer 2026 collections.
The event will take place on Thursday, 25 September at 5 pm at the Istituto dei Ciechi in Milan, a symbolic venue that will host this important occasion dedicated to sustainable fashion.
The show is held under the banner of the Friend of the Earth certification, an international programme that sets rigorous sustainability standards for the fashion industry. This certification ensures transparency and accountability across the entire supply chain, promoting environmentally responsible practices. Through Friend of the Earth, the WSO is committed to guiding the industry towards a more conscious future, collaborating with brands that share values of sustainability and innovation.
One of the featured brands in the 4th edition of «Beyond the Claim Sustainable Fashion Show» is Natural Cotton Color (NCC), which will be taking part presenting the collection Tropeiros da Borborema”. The collection pays tribute to the pioneers who facilitated cotton trade in the Paraíba region during “White Gold” cycle.
Natural Cotton Color’s participation in the show is supported by Texbrasil — the Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program — the result of a partnership between Abit (Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association) and ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency).
Blending the cultural heritage of the sertão with contemporary and sustainable design, the collection is inspired by the memories of founder Francisca Vieira, herself the daughter and granddaughter of tropeiros. It makes use of naturally coloured organic cotton, which grows in shades of beige and brown in Paraíba.
For women, the collection features organic cotton and silk dresses, cloaks and coats inspired by traditional travelling garments, as well as dresses reinterpreted with natural fabrics and artisanal applications. For the first time, the brand has incorporated crystals into the garments, representing the wealth cotton once brought to Paraíba.
Tradition is reimagined through layered looks that recall the iconic leather jacket, hats redesigned in contemporary versions, and the revival of fuxico – an ancient hand-stitching technique that today becomes a refined decorative detail on dresses and accessories. For men, the collection includes monochrome suits and hand-embroidered pyjamas.
The collection also reflects the history of Paraíba’s cotton, which during the White Gold cycle (1860–1930) made the state the world’s second largest cotton producer, surpassed only by Liverpool, England.
“The saga of the tropeiros was essential to the Paraíba cotton trade, leaving a legacy of courage, community and resilience,” Francisca emphasises.
Natural Cotton Color reaffirms its social and environmental commitment by using cotton grown without irrigation or chemical dyes, saving up to 87.5% of water. The collection also highlights the craftsmanship of local lace makers, weavers and embroiderers.
The collection features collaborations with designer Léo Mendonça, and brands Makano, Maria Karaguatá, PacoaEco, Virgínia Barros, Texpar and Dalila Têxtil, and is sponsored by Círculo and Swarovski.
About ApexBrasil:
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy.
In order to achieve its goals, ApexBrasil carries out several trade promotion initiatives aimed at promoting Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business rounds, support to the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, among other business platforms that also aim at strengthening the Brazil brand.
The Agency also acts in a coordinated way with public and private players to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil with a focus on strategic sectors for the development of the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country.
