Paris-trained designer crafts body bags to aid Venezuela earthquake victims

Venezuelan designer Estefanía Sánchez, who trained in Paris, never anticipated her career would lead to crafting body bags. However, in the wake of a devastating double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24, her designs are now serving a critical humanitarian purpose.

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They are writing to me from La Guaira; there are many people who cannot retrieve their loved ones because these necessary bags are unavailable.

The disaster, which claimed over 3,500 lives according to official figures, overwhelmed the logistical capabilities in the state of La Guaira. Faced with a scarcity of essential supplies for handling the deceased, Sánchez and her team of seamstresses halted commercial clothing production to focus on humanitarian efforts. They have since delivered more than 3,200 funerary bags, as reported by Efe.

The initiative began on June 27, three days after the tremors, when a client contacted Sánchez about the dire sanitary crisis in the coastal region. "They are writing to me from La Guaira; there are many people who cannot retrieve their loved ones because these necessary bags are unavailable," Sánchez recalled the client saying. The designer immediately mobilized her team to develop a functional pattern, even testing prototypes herself for durability and designing child-sized dimensions.

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When these tragedies happen, you never imagine you'll end up doing this. You always think about doing something that offers a bit more hope. This need came to us, and how could we say no?

"When these tragedies happen, you never imagine you'll end up doing this. You always think about doing something that offers a bit more hope. This need came to us, and how could we say no?" Sánchez shared in a recent interview. The final design incorporates an internal layer of fluid-resistant fabric, a waterproof exterior, and a reinforced closure system. Initially, Sánchez, her mother, and aunt produced 90 units in a single day. The operation expanded with private donations of fabric rolls and the support of volunteer networks for distribution.

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It's not easy to look people in the eye knowing they are in this situation, that they have to go to La Guaira to identify a body, and you are the one providing the bag.

The emotional toll of this work is significant. Sánchez admits the difficulty of facing grieving families at the collection center. "It's not easy to look people in the eye knowing they are in this situation, that they have to go to La Guaira to identify a body, and you are the one providing the bag," she lamented. Her aunt, Hilda Chacón, initially offered silent prayers for each victim during the packing process before the workflow became more mechanized. "At first, we would arrive and cry. Then we would start production. At that moment, inside me, I tried to pray for the bag and say: 'May you rest in peace,'" Chacón recalled.

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At first, we would arrive and cry. Then we would start production. At that moment, inside me, I tried to pray for the bag and say: 'May you rest in peace,'