Belvis Soler

There are stories that begin with a journey and others that begin with a return. TOCAS holds both. From the streets of Quito to the ateliers of Florence, the Ecuadorian designer Martina Troya has carried a fibre, a memory, and the voices of the women who weave them. Paja toquilla – a material rooted in indigenous knowledge and recognised by UNESCO – becomes, in her hands, a language of identity, resilience, and quiet innovation. We interview her.

Green panoramas and sighs. The Macizo Colombiano sings in verse –written with the ink of the earth and the sweat of its people. A mournful yet passionate symphony, cautious yet brave, it speaks of the past, the struggle, and a rebirth. Everything springs from Mother Earth, from ancestors who now seem to awaken, vibrant in the souls of elders who beg their grandchildren to protect their language, the nature that gives them strength—and to shout it to the world.

At Avantex Paris 2025, innovation met purpose when Apollo Plus won the prestigious Avantex Fashion Pitch Award 2025 with GoldenEye Smart Vision, an AI system capable of detecting fabric defects with microscopic precision and reducing raw-material waste by up to 15%. Their breakthrough marks a turning point for the textile industry, where artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept but a practical solution for sustainable, efficient, and transparent production.