Our Story
We are 3 sisters, Carla, Ornella and Mora Basilotta. We founded the clothing brand “Basilotta” 10 years ago and enjoyed an increasing income and recognition. In 2018 we focused on the sustainable fashion market looking for alternatives to “fast fashion”, as we no longer shared its philosophy.
Humble beginnings
On this path to sustainability, Orne traveled to the province of Neuquén (Argentina) in search of natural fibers to develop a new collection. There she found a different, more interesting material: plastic Big Bags. These bags are sand containers, the main component used for fracking (unconventional oil and gas extraction).
Ornella immediately saw this residue as a potential textile and quickly knew that this was what she had been looking for. Back in Buenos Aires she did not hesitate to shift her energy towards committing to the environment, creativity and innovation in a new project: Fracking Design, a new brand of impactful design, where plastic big bags are recycled and transformed into triple bottom line premium accessories..
The Process
PLASTIC BIG BAGS ARE A WASTE THAT TODAY IS MOSTLY BURNED, IT IS NOT RECYCLED, INCREASING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT.
In Argentina, Vaca Muerta is one of the most important unconventional oil fields in the region. It is located in the province of Neuquén and has an extension of 30,000 km2.
The problem: Through the fracking activity, oil companies use millions of plastic big bags to transport sand, the main component used to break the rocks. These bags are then discarded, becoming a waste that is mostly burned. This widens the carbon footprint and accelerates climate change.
The solution: We recover and recycle this waste and transform it into premium products, helping reduce the carbon footprint. Through our designs this material is re-inserted, becoming our main raw material, reducing waste and taking care of the air on our planet.
40,000 TONS OF SAND ARE USED PER WELL. THIS IS AROUND 26,500 BAGS
We seek to send a message of awareness through our designs
Our production chain is crossed by different work cooperatives, promoting production and local industries.
We work with product lines, not collections. We use neutral and basic colors that don´t “go out of style”.
We design “gender-free” models and colors.
We respect the original prints of the big bags, making each product different from the other.
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT IS TO MITIGATE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT
We are three sisters, mothers, women and entrepreneurs who, through our work, seek to make our contribution to the planet, carrying a message of awareness and care for the environment.
With a team consisting almost entirely of women, Fracking Design creates accessories for all styles. Because ideas and energy have no gender.