Peace has to be stitched, stitch by stitch.
With this idea in mind, Ms. Avella set herself to work in a small sewing workshop in Catatumbo, Colombia, one of the dividends of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels, designed to reunify former combatants and help heal the wounds of conflict.
Like many former fighters, she was looking for a way to rebuild her life after the war, and the workshop served as a space for training, care and empowerment for women that would contribute to stopping gender-based violence – a place where they could learn a trade, support each other and gain confidence in the midst of an area marked by violence.
Along with several other women, Ms. Avella founded Stitches for Peace, which began making sweatshirts, T-shirts, and uniforms. But in 2021 the project took an unexpected turn toward high fashion.
In an initiative led by the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, she met Lina Garces, an economist trained at Externado University and founder of a second-hand clothing boutique called Lina’s Closet in Cúcuta.
Ms. Garces used to say that her shop sold “second-chance clothes,” a phrase that would soon take on a new meaning.
Ms. Garcés agreed to participate, although not without reservations. His personal history was marked by armed conflict, and his family was the victim of kidnapping, which left painful memories.
However, she decided to travel to Caño Indio, in the middle of the Catatumbo jungle, where she found a place very different from the fashion world in which she worked: prefabricated housing, zinc roofs, unpaved roads and communal bathrooms.
But she also found something she didn’t expect: talent. “The women had impressive efficiency,” she recalls. “Those who sewed did it with incredible precision; those who cut had the pulse of a professional.” Many had learned to handle a needle and thread while repairing uniforms or shoes during the war. Now that knowledge weaved another story.
UNVMC
Catrin Avella and Lina Garces celebrate the creation of the Ixora brand skirt.
Ixora’s skirt and reconciliation
For fifteen days he worked intensively on the design, shape and finish. From those days was born the idea of creating wraparound skirts with a print inspired by the Ixora flower, a plant that blooms all year round and is a symbol of resistance and perseverance in Catatumbo.
As a result of all the workshops, the brand ‘Ixora, Inclusive and Autonomous’ was born. By the end of 2021, he already had a first collection, which he presented at the Julio Pérez Library in Cúcuta. The parade brought together victims of the conflict and peace signatories on the same catwalk.
Some time later, during a discussion at the Cúcuta Book Fair, where she was invited to tell her story, Ms. Garcés revealed her family history to the public for the first time. As she spoke, Ms. Avella listened to her quietly. Ms Garces told the audience: “For me, today they are sensitive women who want to move forward. On my part, there was forgiveness; now I want to support them and tell more people about their work so we can live in peace.”
The skirts began to be sold through Ms. Garces’ store and soon other designers became interested in the initiative. Ixora began appearing in fashion shows in Tibú, Ocaña and Bogotá and in 2022 they arrived for the first time at ColombiaModa, the country’s most important textile fair. She did this again on the catwalk as a special guest in 2023 and 2024.
UNVMC
Women of Ixora brand at the trade show after the conclusion of apparel manufacturing workshop organized by UNVMC
violence returns
However, this story of reconciliation, entrepreneurship and peace was hit hard in January last year, when violence flared up again in the region. Mass displacement occurred, social leaders and former combatants were killed, and thousands of families were forced to flee their homes.
The sewing workshop had to be closed. “The women did not want to go back because of fear,” recalls Ms. Avella. At that time, saving lives was the priority.
Paradoxically, in the midst of that crisis came the news they had been waiting for for months: Ixora was officially registered as a trademark in Colombia by the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce. But they decided not to celebrate. “It wasn’t the time,” says Ms. Avella. “There was too much uncertainty.”
Today this project is going through a forced pause. The sewing machines are still in Caño Indio, while the women are waiting for guarantees to be able to move to a new, more secure location in the rural area of Cúcuta.
hope for the future
Still, Ixora’s story is far from over. The brand has won a project with the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) to accompany other women in self-care and psychological support processes. This is a new phase for Ixora, which now seeks to not only generate income, but also provide a space of well-being for those who have lived through the effects of conflict.
“This project is a dream,” Ms Avella says calmly. “Beyond the economic side, it means keeping our union alive and showing that we can make a difference.”
Meanwhile, the women wait for the moment to turn the machines back on. In Catatumbo, where so many stories end abruptly, like the flower that gives it its name, hope is that the ixora will bloom again, even in the most difficult circumstances.
