2019 brought many gifts, among them were a host of opportunities to do my sustainable fashion advocacy work. I did some speaking and a good amount of writing, which- while I’m grateful for any avenue to share about something so very important to me- 2020 will see less time on this pounding away on this keyboard. That said- Iet’s celebrate some of the good things that happened in sustainable fashion that I reported on this past year.
I kicked off 2019 off with an interview of ecofashion guru and sustainability expert Marci Zaroff (she did coin the term ecofashion, after all), featured in the January issue of Green Living Magazine. Zaroff, “2019 is the big tipping point year for sustainable fashion. You can look good, feel good and do good in the world. It is cool to be conscious now.” I could not agree more!
The Garment League
In July, I co-hosted the first ever Polyester Sustainable Fashion event, with Tricee Thomas, sponsored by The Garment League (TGL). This event featured a fashion show with local designers showcasing their sustainable fashion lines. It was an incredible night. I am already looking forward to the next one! PS- lookout for more from TGL this year... they've got some big surprises up their sleeves!
Modern Luxury Magazine
In September I was featured in the Modern Luxury Scottsdale style issue, as one of the featured Women of Style. I consider this a win for sustainable and responsible fashion. To be recognized for my personal style was incredibly gratifying, but the fact that most of my ‘style’ is secondhand or in some was considered sustainable, speaks volumes. It’s cool care and it’s stylish to be sustainable with your fashion choices (wink)
Arizona Costume Institute
In October I spoke at the first ever Arizona Costume Institute Cocktails and Conversation event, held at the Phoenix Art Museum. It was awesome to have a platform such as this to share my views and aspirations of sustainable fashion, namely secondhand and vintage, and be a beacon of encouragement for other women to follow suit. It was an engaging and encouraging crowd, and extremely stylish too, I might add! I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming reception!
Green Living Magazine
In April Green Living Magazine hosted the first ever Upcycle Designer Challenge as part of their Earth Day Summit 2019, which I hosted. (more on this in the May issue, Green Living Upcycle Design Challenge Proves You Can Make Garments from Garbage, which I reported on). The winner of the Challenge, Scott Stanton, works exclusively with upcycled artificial cemetery flowers he rescues right from the trash, saving them from further polluting the planet in a landfill.
According to Remake, it is believed that Americans dispose of 13 million tons of textiles annually. Clearly this is work that is worthy of the win and we hope to see more designers and artists follow his lead.
Conscious Collective Popup Shop
The Conscious Collective hosted it’s first ever Popup Shop from September- October at the WAYLA Studios event space (located within Modern Manor) showcasing local and sustainable art and fashion. The CC continues to host popups of varying degrees and time frames around the valley.
The premier Popup included founder Crystal Daniels (Designer Treasure Hunt), Jes Zaneis (SoulCare by CCC and SoulCare in Surplus), Laura Taylor (Vintage by Design), Madeline Dolgin (Healing Seams), Tara Gamel (Tara Gamel Art), and myself (ReFashioned Art). This is a sustainable shopping experience, with vendors selling items that are either locally made, secondhand, upcycled, and/ or sustainably made.
Stay tuned for part II!!! Coming Soon!