Rethink the Runway Weekly Recap 04.21.2025
A month of vintage treasures, bold designers, and the stories reshaping sustainable fashion in the Bay
Hi Rethink the Runway Community 🌿 SF Climate Week is finally here, and the collective energy at Rethink the Runway is REAL. Here’s your weekly roundup of what passed and what’s happening this week. It’s all about meaningful moments, creative connection, and building excitement. Let’s go!
Join Our Events
April is full of exciting Rethink the Runway events - from Empress Vintage’s cozy shopping party on 4/13, a Half-Day Retreat at Fibershed on 4/18, to our week-long Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition happening NOW.
April is a beautiful reminder that slow fashion is all about connection, and we’re excited to have you join us!
RTR Team Spotlight: Mariia Kozak
Last week, we introduced you to Mariia Kozak, a passionate member of our Marketing team who sees fashion as a space where identity, culture, and climate action intersect.
“Sustainability in fashion isn’t a trend - it’s the future.”
Mariia is especially excited to see the emotional connections people make at RTR 2025, especially when design meets storytelling and sustainability.
Join Threads of Change Exhibition and Meet the RTR Team!
The countdown to our first signature event Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition is over. Today - Monday, April 21st - marks our opening day!
This week-long exhibition is the heart of our SF Climate Week programming, and we can’t wait to guide you through it. You will be able to see innovative works from these featured designers:
unspun (featuring Vega™ 3D weaving technology)
Recology AIR (featuring works by past AIR participants)
Oakland School of Arts (featuring 5 student designers)
Empress Vintage (featuring Janina Angel Bath)
Nyna (by Nayana Kodesia)
Paul Gallo of Community College of San Francisco
Natalie Walsh of Climate Designers
This immersive fashion exhibition runs from April 21st to 25th - with guided tours happening daily at Humanmade at 4, 5, or 6pm.
Monday 4/21 https://lu.ma/357yyff3
Tuesday 4/22 https://lu.ma/ut6l4wul
Wednesday 4/23 https://lu.ma/lfwzej6u
Friday 4/25 https://lu.ma/8ds830yf
Not to be missed: Threads of Change Reception on Thursday, April 24th
We invited you to join us for an inspiring evening at Humanmade SF on April 24 to celebrate the artists behind our Threads of Change Fashion Exhibition. It’ll be a night of fashion, conversation, and connections, featuring visionary designs made with upcycled materials and regenerative fabrics.
Event Highlights
👗 Meet the Designers – Connect with the innovators behind the designs, dive into their creative processes, and learn how they’re pushing the boundaries of sustainable fashion.
🌍 See What’s Next – Discover groundbreaking approaches to sustainable fashion—from upcycled garments to fabrics that help regenerate ecosystems.
🎨 Live screen printing from Waste – bring a tee to upcycle!
📌💡Pinterest Collaboration – Discover curated Pinterest boards around sustainable fashion that fuel your creativity.
🤝 Build Connections – Network with like-minded individuals, sustainability advocates, and fashion innovators passionate about making a positive impact on the world.
🍸 DJ, drinks & light bites
Panel + Q&A
How policy, innovation, and creativity are shaping the future of fashion—with a spotlight on California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB707)
Moderator: Kara Fabella // Fashion Consultant, Wardrobe Stylist, & Ethical Fashion Advocate and Remake Bay Area community organizer
Speakers:
Zoe Heller // Director at CalRecycle
Alexa Kietly // Zero Waste Senior Coordinator at San Francisco Environment Department
Clementina Martinez-Masarweh // Designer and Filmmaker of DNA Threds
Alexandria Vasquez // Founder of Herderin
💖 Early-bird tickets are still available:
Get complete info and Reserve your spot!
Empress Vintage Recap + Food and Fiber Retreat + our first sold-out event
We looked back on the magic of our shopping party with Janina Angel Bath at Empress Vintage — an afternoon of vintage gems, slow fashion wisdom, and community joy. This event reminded us that shopping can be intentional, connected, and fun 💫
👉 Read Empress Vintage's blog post
We cherished a great memory of Food & Fiber Half-Day Retreat at Fibershed Learning Center, happening last Friday on April 18th. It was a day of reflection of our interconnections, hands-on activities of garden walk and natural dyeing, and celebration of regenerative fashion at the Black Mountain Ranch! Thank you Fibershed, From Soil to Soul, and Black Fiber Textiles Network for collaborating with us to curate this beautiful event.
We also reminded everyone to snag a spot for our Fashion Drawing Workshop with Zoe Hong — happening next Friday at Pinterest HQ. The event is now SOLD OUT and we are ano longer taking new registrations.
👉 Browse more info about the Fashion Drawing Workshop
Creatives Wanted: Recirculating Fabrics
We are looking for creatives and makers to take good quality fabrics that we use for draping the exhibition background! They are cut in 15 ft. increments, so there are a great deal of great materials to recirculate.
💡 Interested? Email us at rethinktherunway@gmail.com to schedule your pick up on Saturday, April 26th.
Support Our Mission
Rethink the Runway partners with brands and organizations to co-create public facing events that highlight the intersection of fashion, sustainability, and climate actions. If you’d like to support our work, please consider making a donation today.
Thank You for Being Part of the Movement
Your support and engagement make these events possible. Whether you’re attending, volunteering, or simply following along, you’re helping us shape a more sustainable, regenerative, and creative fashion future.
As always, feel free to hit reply or leave a comment! We love hearing what you’re excited about too.
With care,
The Rethink the Runway Team
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