Juan Camilo Velasquez (33) is an artist, and his brother Daniel Agudelo Velásquez (31) is a social communicator, but now together they are making garments made with materials recovered from the ocean. And while it may seem like they’ve abandoned their vocations to do something different, in reality, it was their involvements in each of their fields that inspired them to start their design organization.
Juan Camilo Velásquez explained to the Gente website:
We went to Mexico, Cuba and the United States, while we were strengthening the group (La Fragua) we also did it to the part of the ‘styling’ and dressing the band was that my interest in fashion and a business idea was born.
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They founded their clothing company Bohio Playa five years ago. At first, these Colombian entrepreneurs from Envigado used premium materials to make their T-shirts so they’d last longer. As they developed their brand, the brothers decided to explore different options – materials that were more practical and could help the planet. Their mission became to establish a sustainable brand.
To date, their enterprise has managed to transform over 40,000 plastic bottles from ocean waste into clothing and beach products. They took litter that was harming sea creatures out of the water and turned it into something usable and fashionable. That’s amazing! Of course, everyone loves it. The brothers are all the rage on social networks.
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And their obligation to the climate is only half of their excellent work. They also support older women by employing them to manufacture each item. The T-shirts are made by women head of families – mothers and grandmothers. They receive livable wages, comfortable working conditions and are treated with the utmost respect.
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Forbes appointed them as one of the 30 most promising Colombian businesses for 2021.
The company now works nationwide with a network of distributors and points of sale. It exports to Chile, Guatemala, Panama, and Puerto Rico too.
