San Diego first major city to recognize Slow Fashion Day

SAN DIEGO – Fast fashion is dropping out of vogue as sustainability becomes more important, and San Diego is on the cutting edge of what’s replacing it.

The San Diego City Council recently designated the second Sunday of November as Slow Fashion Day, making San Diego the first major U.S. city to recognize this movement.

Sunday, Nov. 9, was the inaugural Slow Fashion Day, held in downtown San Diego at The Lane.

The event was organized by Barrio Logan textile artist Claudia Rodriquez-Biezunski of Sew Loka, Chris Carson of The Homegrown Project, and Councilmember Vivian Moreno. Their goal is to make San Diego a national model for sustainable fashion practices.

The family-friendly event provided booths with sustainable fashion vendors and hands-on upcycling workshops with free material. Goodwill San Diego donated T-shirts that attendees transformed into tote bags. There was an embroidery lounge, and visitors were encouraged to bring garments from home to trim with recycled fabric patches using sewing machines.

Host Ramel J. Wallace moderated a Sustainability in Fashion panel of experts. They were Melissa Mello of Material Happiness, Mary Maren from I Love A Clean San Diego, Mindy McIntyre from CalRecycle, and Darlene Cossio of Goodwill.

The Sew Homegrown fashion show began with two upcycled collections. The first was from Sew Loka, followed by an upcycled collection from The Homegrown Project.

During the evening, David Huerta, community representative of Barrio Logan, presented a proclamation to Rodriguez-Biezunski and Carson officially declaring the second Sunday of November as Slow Fashion Day.

Guests enjoyed music from the all-female rock band Go Scarlet and DJ Beazie Beats. Food and refreshments included tacos and aguas frescas, and coffee from 18 Cities Coffee, adding to the lively atmosphere.

Slow fashion supports clothing and manufacturing systems that respect people, the environment, and animals. To learn more and stay connected, visit @sewloka and @bychriscarson on Instagram.

The event was made possible by The Conrad Prebys Foundation.

Upcoming events

Saturday, Nov. 29 – Design San Diego, Runway Show and Pop Up Shop at 629 J St. at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.

Friday, Dec. 5 – Winter Wonderland Fashion Show & Luncheon hosted by The Arc of San Diego at the U.S. Grant Hotel at 10 a.m. Tickets here.

Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned Couture Milliner based in the Southern California area. Learn more about our hat designer, teacher, and podcaster at dianacavagnaro.com.