In Cape Verde, ocean waste is being turned into bags and bracelets

A bag made from fishing nets. Photo: AFP

Fishing nets of all colours, plastic bottles and other ocean waste litter the fine sand of many of Cape Verde's islands. This pollution results from the marine currents that each day deposit detritus originating from all continents – or just about.

This distressing observation led two women, Helena Moscoso and Debora Roberto, to launch into upcycling in 2019, adopting a practice now favoured by many fashion designers seeking to fight waste, overproduction, and land and sea pollution at their own scale.