Rocio Arias Hofman, Artesanias de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia

ARTESANÍAS DE COLOMBIA

Artesanías de Colombia has been working for the country’s craftspeople since 1964. Our mission is to promote and strengthen the work of the artisanal sector through rescuing and preserving techniques and crafts that make up the Colombian people’s cultural heritage. 

We stimulate productive, innovative, inclusive, and sustainable development programs in every department of the country. Thousands of artisans benefit from training programs in human development, entrepreneurship, codesign, production and commercialization. 

We are a non-profit organization. Our main objective is to install the proper aptitudes for the regions to increase their productivity and ability to compete. In this way, artisans expand their product portfolio with high-quality wares and develop pieces that meet market expectations.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

A JOURNEY THROUGH COLOMBIA’S WEAVINGS

Textiles and basketry, mostly made from plant-based fibers, reflect the history and geography of Colombia. This is why the following will be a great opportunity to get to know this country by means of its weavings. For an hour and a half, Rocío Arias will share an overview of our weavings with Selvedge readers: she will trace their maps and review various perspectives that surround them, from the ethnic and raw-material factors to the projections they have in the fashion sector. In this space, Rocío will also have the possibility of interviewing several craftspeople who will broaden the perspectives of all attendees regarding artisanship: craftspeople who, from the diversity of Colombian contexts, will share their stories, their techniques, and, of course, ¡their products! With this virtual journey, Artesanías de Colombia wishes to bring Selvedge readers the chance of enjoying the cultural and artisanal richness of our country.

Rocio Arias Hofman

Since 1998, I have developed my corporate career in the country's media: RCN Televisión (executive producer of Informative Services); Publicaciones Semana (director of Plan B magazine); Caracol Radio (host of "Hoy por hoy") and El Espectador (columnist and contributor to chronicles and reports).

Since 2007, I have been an independent entrepreneur.

Since 2012, I have developed a professional career in the national fashion industry. I research and publish topics related to the challenges of global sustainability applied to both this particular sector and the local artisan traditions linked to contemporary design. I document and write about technical and creative processes and business models in the industry.

I founded SillaVerde SAS, a company focused on fashion knowledge with the aforementioned emphasis. It provides genuine content based on journalistic research and approached from different genres and platforms:

1. The digital magazine www.sentadaensusillaverde.com
2. The TALKING CLOSET Podcast on Spotify / Spreaker / Itunes
3. The audiovisual series LA VIDA ANIMADA on Youtube
4. The @sillaverde Instagram, which presents daily coverage of fashion with very personal approaches through scripts
5. The Al HILO Live Interview Series by IGLive SillaVerde

SUSTAINABLE FASHION AND CRAFT TRADITION CONSULTANT

1. In 2015, I co-founded the Fashion & Jewelry Program of ARTESANÍAS DE COLOMBIA and have been a permanent consultant of it. I have created the commercial platform MODA VIVA that articulates productive projects between contemporary design trends and the artisan communities of the country. My responsibilities include teaching workshops on the history and business of fashion to indigenous communities and traditional artisans in their places of origin; manage and articulate productive projects between the fashion industry and the artisans; prepare the annual conceptualization of the collections of the Fashion and Jewelry Program; represent Artesanías de Colombia in this category in the scenarios required. I am also the coordinator and leader of the interdisciplinary team of Artesanías de Colombia for the direction, contents, scripts, and audiovisual production of the digital television programs FORO HORIZONTE, VOCES, and LA TROJA.
2. I have worked on HORIZONTAL: a consulting service specialized in the construction of Fashion Narratives based on Transparency, Honesty, and Value. It also creates, produces, and conducts forums and specialized knowledge events.
3. I have worked on MODA 360 for the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce: a program on sustainable fashion (annual cycle of round tables) whose contents, selection of guests, and moderation I carried out consecutively from 2015 to 2019. I founded and have been director of CONVERSACIÓN BFW, the knowledge strip of Bogotá Fashion Week 2018 and 2019 of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá.
4. I have been a fashion brand consultant for the development of the corporate narratives of the following brands: Falabella, Loto del Sur, Michú Bags, Silvia Tcherassi, Jewelry Space.

Teacher, Jury, and Media Freelancer & Writer

• Director and teacher of THE FASHION PHENOMENON, WRITING WITH PURPOSE / An online masterclass.
• Teacher of "Fashion Communication: the construction of a story" at LCI Bogotá and Universidad Central.
• Lecturer of "Stories on a slow fire" and "SillaVerde Talks: ideas that revolutionize fashion".
• Member of the Jury award of Medalla Maestría Artesanal by ARTESANÍAS DE COLOMBIA 2018.
• Freelance with journalistic texts on fashion in the following media outlets Vogue Latinoamérica, Diners, Fucsia, and El Espectador.
• Host of fashion forums and events at LatinAmerican Fashion Summit, Bcapital, and the University of the Andes.