Time of Harvest - Tiempo de Zafra

Tiempo De Zafra stands for “Time of Harvest”, a phrase used by the sugar cane industry to describe the season when crops are cultivated. The TDZ Team uses the term as a proverb. It is a reminder that we are inherently abundant and that abundance reflects all around us. It illustrates the work that goes into cultivating and affirming it while shining light on the Caribbean as a place of potentiality. 

 

 

Based in the Dominican Republic, TDZ’s find inspiration by the magical quality and the resourcefulness of the environment they live in. TDZ predominately sources material from secondhand clothing markets, which employs thousands of people to move millions worth of imported pre-owned and discarded goods and materials; and navigates western consumerism by archiving and creating stories that expose how “fast-fashion” goods travel from the U.S, and other Global North countries. At times where the Global North overlooks the importance of sustainable retailing and consumerism, and undermines and devalues the local textile industry, many others in the Global South see it as a means to support livelihood, and to provide for their families.

 

 

TDZ explores the potential in the abundance of discarded clothing and materials. TDZ re-contextualizes what is valuable and what is useful by bringing awareness through creating new life out of pre-consumed goods and materials.

TDZ works with what is available and what can be repurposed. Since the source of fabrics is predominantly found in second-hand markets, each garment is unique in its own way. The various conditions of the clothing and the various types / "one-ofs" challenge how each piece is designed. Oftentimes the material dictates the design and the overall feel of the final piece. In TDZ’s recent collection, the oversized shirt dress was made out of 30 second-hand mens’ dress shirts. The dress serves as a “statement-piece” to spark the conversation about the excess that does not sell because of discrepancies, and damages; and in most cases  left-over materials from one piece often grants the creation of another (i.e the Post-Consumer Sun Hats were crafted out of the left-over material from the oversized dress).

 

 

The chaos and the informalness of the environment influences what comes out of Tiempo de Zafra. The streets of Santo Domingo, the colors and sounds, and the resourcefulness of the people are all sewn into work. The conversation unfolds from here. A re-telling of stories that connect to DR and the community in it; an embodiment of how other-worldly and surreal life can be in the Caribbean.

 

                  

 

Photos: TDZ
Editing: Luisa Martinez
Models: Karla Ferrera, Moises y Carolin Williams
Styling: Carolin Williams / LA MALETA301
Production: Jeremy Garcia / MAS Productions
BTS: Fidel Ernesto Lopez
Words by TDZ | Edited by Sy Rohoman