Elpidia Malicsi’s creations were show to the public through mobile catwalks on streets in Hong Kong. Photo: Facebook, Ju-chen Chen, Sustainable Sunday Couture: Domestic Workers Upcycling Fashion
Elpidia Malicsi’s creations were show to the public through mobile catwalks on streets in Hong Kong. Photo: Facebook, Ju-chen Chen, Sustainable Sunday Couture: Domestic Workers Upcycling Fashion

The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong is showcasing “upcycled” costumes made by a Filipino domestic worker, in an exhibition aiming to show the need for a more inclusive dialogue on sustainability and labor rights.

Elpidia Malicsi designed and created 15 upscale outfits from everyday materials she had collected, including discarded garbage bags, coffee sachets and soft-drink-can tabs, and her creations are being exhibited at the Philippine Consulate’s office in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island.

The exhibition, titled “Sustainable Sunday Couture: Domestic Workers Upcycling Fashion,” was organized in partnership with the University of Hong Kong and is running at the consulate’s gallery from March 4 to 14, after which it will move to the HKU campus from March 18 to April 1.

Elpidia Malicsi upcycling fashion by maid 13 Mar 18
Elpidia Malicsi designed and created 15 outfits by using ‘upcycled’ materials. Photo: Facebook, Merina Sunuwar, Sustainable Sunday Couture: Domestic Workers Upcycling Fashion

Consul General Antonio Morales said Malicsi’s works showed the need for a more inclusive dialogue about sustainability – a dialogue that recognizes the connections between sustainability and labor rights, decent work and domestic workers’ creative contributions to Hong Kong culture – according to the official Philippine News Agency.

“Filipino workers should hone their talents and skills while employed here in Hong Kong so that upon their return to the Philippines, they can use these to achieve their financial and personal goals and aspirations for themselves and their families back home,” Morales said.

In February, Malicsi’s creations were shown to the public through mobile catwalks on streets in the city including Chater Road in Central, Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, which attracted the attention and applause of passers-by.

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