Bicentennial City Project. Sustainable fashion, co-creation and productive strengthening

Abstract

Bicentennial City – Sustainable Fashion, Co-creation and Productive Strengthening (Cartagena, 2025) is a social innovation intervention from design that accompanies the productive unit "Hilando en Bicentenario" to create its own brand and a high-turnover product with a circular economy approach, articulating the Santo Domingo Foundation and Inexmoda with the academic and technical support of the Faculty of Design of the University of Medellín. The project was developed between September and October 2025 in the Bicentennial neighborhood (Cartagena), a territory prioritized by its vulnerable population and by the commitment to community development of the City of the Bicentennial. The methodology combined specialized technical mentoring (brand DNA with a circular approach, portfolio and product development), product co-creation with local actors, production accompaniment and quality control, and a results socialization event. The deliverables included prototypes, technical sheets, a document of productive recommendations, logs and socialization minutes, as well as communication material from the "Colorful Cartagena" collection. As an impact, the project strengthens the social fabric, diversifies technical and business capacities, and connects territorial identity, sustainability and economic projection so that the community leads a fashion ecosystem with a local stamp.