Global Impact Speaker Series: Maria Theresa Leal
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, Executive Education Bldg, E0550
Maria Theresa Leal, the founder of Coopa-Roca, will be the guest speaker at the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series on January 23, 2008. The event will be held at 4:30 pm in the Executive Education Bldg, E0550, with a reception to follow.
Sociologist Maria Theresa Leal founded a sewing collective in Rocinha in the 1980s. The idea began with Leal's repeated trips to the favela with her housekeeper, a Rocinha resident. During her stays, Leal encountered many women who were talented seamstresses but had no chance to earn money for their skills. So began Coopa Roca, a small group of women who worked from home to produce quilts, pillows and craft items, often made from recycled fabrics. As bigger orders arrived more women joined the ranks, and today the co-op employs some 150 women. The work also grew more varied over the years and members of the co-op have employed unique techniques like fuxico (embroidering with pieces of fabric). The collective caught the eye of the fashion world in the early 1990s, and received commissions from Brazilian designers Osklen and Carlos Miele, as well as British designer Paul Smith.
The headquarters of Coopa Roca remain in the favela (a new building was erected with help from Miele and Gilberto Gil's Ministry of Culture), and it continues to be a source of inspiration for many within the community.
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