Philly adopts sustainable fashion on Earth Day Lifestyle

Sustainable Fashion Week was held for the first time from New York to Philadelphia.

The four-day event will have the brilliance and glamor of a traditional fashion week, but its mission goes beyond showcasing beautiful clothing. Instead of focusing on high-end brands, the week highlights local designers and invites everyone to learn more about sustainable techniques in their wardrobe and beyond.

Bridget Artis founded Sustainable Fashion Week back in 2019, although she has been working as a sustainable designer since the early 2000s. For her, the week is affordability – for independent designers who otherwise haven’t had a chance to showcase their work. It’s also about sharing sustainability information for everyday fashion.

“I feel this platform is the perfect way to captivate people and get an education while they have fun,” said Artiz, who teaches sustainable fashion at the Fashion Technology Institute.

Artis is in New York, but has strong ties to the Philly area where she spent her summers as a child.

She has known Nyambi Reuster, owner of Nyambi Naturals, a beauty and pharmacy company based in Philly, for several years and earlier this year exchanged seeds and clothes with her. Based on the positive reception of the event, Artiz decided that Philly should become the first city to expand the series of events.

The week, which officially began on Thursday, April 21, with a panel on clothing and our planet, is a collaboration with All Together Now PA, Swap Across America, BK Style Foundation, retrievr, as well as local organizations and companies such as The Discovery Center, FABSCRAP, Circular Philadelphia and Nyambi Naturals.

The partnerships are intentional, Artyz said, so participants get the best of both worlds, and the experience is “not just fashion”.

Each event during the four-day “week” has a different focus.

On the second day of the festival, which falls on Earth Day – Friday, April 22 – at The Discovery Center, in Fairmount Park near East Park Reservoir, there will be a design showcase where local and non-governmental designers are present.

“We are definitely talking about designers who use only durable fabrics and designers who completely recycle, so they don’t even use anything new,” Artyz said. “And then you have waste-free designers who can buy bolt fabric, but they use every piece of that fabric, so there’s no waste.”

Then on Saturday, April 23, there will be a seed exchange and a plant walk with Nyambi Naturals, also at The Discovery Center, followed by a party after party.

The week ends on Sunday, April 24, with an exchange of clothes and a seminar, also at The Discovery Center.

“You [get to] you will see these amazing fashions that you would not think are sustainable, but then you also get a panel and you also get a replacement, ”she said.

Participants in the clothing exchange are allowed to bring five pieces for replacement and leave no more than five pieces. Everything is free. It’s also fun, Artyz says, especially for people who have never done it before. “It gives the consumer a different shopping option.”

All that is left is donated.

In addition to sharing clothes, participants will be able to shop at local vendors, and join a workshop to repair, recycle or sew ties, where they will learn creative ways to fix clothes that have stains or holes, or change existing clothes. in brand new. The goal is to extend the durability of the item of clothing and make it more comfortable for the wearer.

“The ideas are endless,” said Artyz, who wrote the book Reborn Vintage: 25 Ways to Deconstruct, Invent, and Redesign Your Wardrobe. All activities for the week are cheap or free. Those wishing to enjoy the activities can sign up at sustainablefashionweek.us.