At Marta's house, with two girls, clothes haven't been a big expense. Throughout their childhood, they've made use of everything that friends' or cousins' daughters no longer needed. It's come to them through the seams, and that's why, even as little girls, both have been able to choose what they like and discard what they don't. They only bought the most basic items, like leggings, which are difficult to pass down. Both the older girl, 12, and the younger one, 8, have agreed on one thing for the past few years: they haven't worn skinny jeans because, apart from not finding them comfortable, they arrived just as wide-legged or flared trousers were back in style.

Clothes accompany us throughout our lives. They define us, give us presence, and are part of moments we'll always remember. But today, that connection has weakened. Clothes have become a fast-moving consumer product. We buy them impulsively, rarely wear them, and often get rid of them without thinking about what happens next. And the problem is, clothes don't disappear.

According to the dictionary, the cugula is a plant of the grass family, similar to oats, that frequently appears at the edges of cultivated fields. It is generally considered a weed. And, surely because of this, the rural world often used the term "cugula" to refer to what a pregnant woman carried in her womb: a girl.

Millions of tons of oil cross continents and seas to end up in the cramped closets of Western citizens. Polyester in all its forms, synthetic fibers that can only be destroyed by burning, fabrics treated with toxic substances that poison rivers, plants, animals, and people. We live in oil, we sleep in oil, we sweat oil. Many of these garments, presented as attractive and desirable in the physical and virtual windows of stores, are not so different from garbage bags. But so cute, so shiny. Mass advertising makes us deposit all our longings for beauty and seduction into this unsustainable, ugly, and uncomfortable packaging. We attribute countless meanings to clothing, linked to personality, sexual attraction, and status (now masked with words like style, glamor either good taste), romantic and professional success, and above all, we believe that our individuality resides there, the unique expression of who we are. Except that, with a glance at the daily catwalk of any city street, it turns out we're all dressed the same: we're nothing more than obedient soldiers of the powerful army of the fashion system.

In a warehouse on the outskirts of Sabadell, dozens of workers from the Fundació Formació i Treball (Training and Employment Foundation) rush to sort a constant stream of used clothing. Cotton shirts, sequined dresses, polyester sweaters, children's jeans. Each piece represents, in theory, a small act of solidarity and sustainability: a donation to "close the loop" of fast fashion. But the pace is frantic, the warehouses are full, and most of these garments, says Albert Alberich, founder and until recently director of Moda Re-, the Cáritas social cooperative specializing in textile recycling, "will end up in packages that will be shipped abroad." "The volumes are enormous; Europe simply doesn't have the sorting capacity to process them," he adds.

Now that we're entering one of the peak shopping seasons of the year, it's a good time to shed light on what happens to all the clothes we don't use. This Sunday, in the special report, you'll find the results of a Europe-wide investigation, in which an ARA contributor participated, tracing the surprising and often opaque routes of the clothes we discard. Using markers sewn onto various garments, a team of journalists reconstructed the journeys to major logistics hubs in countries like the United Arab Emirates and calculated the carbon footprint generated by this global system.

Rec.0, Igualada's emerging fashion festival, kicks off its latest edition tomorrow, Wednesday (and runs until Saturday). Now in its second year (since its debut in 2009), this autumn sees the addition of several new brands, some with international reach. Nike (through the Base store), the sportswear brands Salewa (Germany) and Dynafit (Austria), and the Italian boxing brand Leone are arriving in the capital of the Anoia region to join other multinationals that have long been associated with Rec.0, such as Levi's, Adidas, Converse, Puma, and New Balon. Despite the presence of these major brands, the organizers are emphasizing the importance of maintaining their identity as a local festival. They assert that 80% of their brands are still based in Catalonia, both small and large, citing well-known names like Brownie (also a new addition this year), Munich, Antonio Miró, Textura, and Punto Blanco, among many others.

At noon, I hung out a machine-made load of linen. It's pleasant to hang it up, fragrant and wet, fresh and carnal, refined not by the pieces but by their use, like laundry after an illness, as if hanging sheets and pillowcases had been hung between them the nights spent, and hanging the T-shirt had been hung the evening I wore them for a sound hike the other day in the mountains, not far away because the dog has grown old and can't keep up.

Perhaps they've worn a pair of socks of each color or summer flip-flops in the middle of winter... This is what can happen if children have absolute freedom when it comes to choosing their clothes. A freedom that will undoubtedly help them "enhance" and "develop" their autonomy (and also their self-esteem). This is according to Mònica González, a social psychologist. However, without a "clear limit," adds this expert, on the type of clothing they can choose, for example, or to what extent there can be negotiation, setbacks like these will arise. "Although the quick and easy solution would be for me—the parent—to choose the clothes and, thus, adapt the clothing to the temperature and colors, we must consider the consequences. Educating children in autonomy involves having to negotiate and accept that children make decisions and mistakes," she clarifies. The final result will take more time, but we will foster an autonomy that will serve both for clothing and any other aspect of daily life.

We read in the ARA a fact more, with a percentage increase, which allows us to say once again that each home is a world in itself, but which, nevertheless, is shocking. "Each citizen of the European Union generates 132 kg of food waste and throws away 12 kg of clothing and footwear each year." Europe "intends" (what an uncommitted verb) that each Member State meet objectives. "By law, by December 3, 2030, at the latest, producing companies will have to reduce food waste by 10% in food processing and manufacturing, and retail trade and restaurants (as well as households) will have to reduce it by 30%."

If you walk into Alex's room today, you might find anything. Any day now, I'll find an Ondas Award under the bed. He's very messy. Plus, he has this strange ability to make you believe things are more or less in their place, but when you open the closet or drawers, you see everything is a mess. Gina's room is tidier, although I think she's slowly picking up some of her brother's bad habits.

From Goethe to the present day, numerous studies have demonstrated the relationship between color and emotions. Color is not just a visual stimulus; it is emotional language. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology (2020) states that certain shades influence our mood: warm tones activate, cool tones calm, and bright colors generate joy or excitement. Does that mean we should surround our children with fluorescent colors? No, but we must understand that color speaks and, above all, accompanies us.

Dressing during pregnancy, showing off your stomach, not spending too much, and doing so with sustainability and comfort in mind isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. Although a woman's body undergoes significant changes during pregnancy, it's not necessary to change your entire wardrobe to wear clothes that are flattering, skin- and environmentally friendly, and, above all, long-lasting. During the first trimester, nothing extra is needed, and everything can be purchased as your belly grows, taking into account your needs. "The belly starts to become considerable after eighteen or twenty weeks," warns midwife Meritxell Gómez, "that's a short time to spend a lot." Therefore, she recommends avoiding buying "excess" clothing.

It's unusual for boys and girls to be together in class dressed in their Sunday best, but it's not unusual either. Nor is it unusual to find them wearing football shirts, short skirts and tops, flip-flops—when the weather is nice—or tight pants full of dirt. shine-shine. It's possible that before arriving at the school gates in this outfit, there may have been a family discussion about whether some clothes should stay in the closet or not. Whether you just throw in the towel and let the child do what they want or you prioritize their freedom and expression, the fact is that in the classroom, diversity is also reflected in the way they dress.

This is what these brands' clothes are like: relatively affordable, durable and sustainable. We review the Catalan firms and designers who work with criteria of proximity and sustainability and who want you to leave fast fashion aside without ending up broke.