Threads of Change: Sustainable Fashion Takes Center Stage at SF Climate Week
How Bay Area Designers Lead the Charge Toward Climate-Conscious Style
Hi Rethink the Runway community, It’s time for another recap! This time, it’s about our Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition. It’s going to be a lengthy recap, so go to our Substack to read the whole story seamlessly.
The Bay Area's most innovative sustainable fashion designers, artists, and educators came together during San Francisco Climate Week 2025 to showcase the future of environmentally conscious style. From upcycled couture to living wearable art, discover how local creators are transforming the fashion industry's relationship with sustainability.
From April 21 to 25, 2025, Rethink the Runway’s Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition transformed how visitors viewed the intersection of fashion and sustainability during San Francisco Climate Week 2025. Hosted at Humanmade and supported by Climate Creative and Pinterest, the exhibition featured an impressive array of sustainable fashion innovators from across the Bay Area.
With three guided tours offered daily at 4, 5, and 6pm, attendees had ample opportunity to explore how local designers, innovators, and institutions are reimagining the future of fashion through diverse circular practices - from reimagining materials and processes to diverting waste from reaching landfills.
Behind the Scenes: Bringing the Vision to Life
The ambitious exhibition came together through the dedicated efforts of a passionate team committed to showcasing sustainable fashion innovation.
Art Director Liliana Muntean brought her creative vision inspired by nature and whimsical forest to the spatial design and curatorial approach, ensuring each piece was presented in a way that maximized both aesthetic impact and educational value. The majority of the decor elements - fabrics, tree branches, logs, and more - were donated, loaned, or scavaged.
Program and Project Director Mira worked tirelessly to identify and engage the diverse array of talented creators featured throughout the exhibition, as well as the loaning process of the 20 mannequins.
The exhibition's success was made possible by our small but mighty team, supported by day volunteers who dedicated their time to the intensive preparation process. During the two-day setup period, Mira and Liliana were supported by RTR team members Anna Nicholls, Becca Bloom, and Wafaa Sabil.
Volunteers Pippa Renshaw, Meggie Stenback, Mariette Dawson, Varshitha Venkataramani, Anna Jiang, and Savannah Klein worked hard to carefully prepare the fabric walls. Nilan Muntean crafted the moss-covered logs, while Helen Fream efficiently helped the exhibition cleanup one week later.
With Jacob Kalousek, the seasoned stage producer behind Academy of Art's annual fashion show, strategically placing spotlights to illuminate each of the 20 featured pieces, Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition was officially transformed from concept to reality — ready to inspire visitors about the future of sustainable fashion!
Fashion as a Force for Change
The San Francisco Bay Area has long nurtured movements that challenge the status quo, from counterculture revolutions to climate activism. Continuing this tradition, "Threads of Change" showcased how designers, artists, and innovators are pushing the boundaries of sustainable style while addressing fashion's environmental impact.
The exhibition highlighted diverse approaches to sustainable fashion, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can coexist with creativity and craftsmanship.
Here are our featured designers and their innovations:
Upcycling Wizards
Mira Musank (Fafafoom Studio | @miramusank) displayed the latest iteration of her signature "Gathered Cloths" project, showcasing a stunning 15-pound Modular Dress assembled from 85+ ruffled cloth pieces, 100% made by upcycling sewing remnants and fabric cutoffs.
Also on display was her "Godet Goddess Dress," created from embellished high-end womenswear cutoffs and cotton prints. During The Climate Creative’s Hem & Jaleo interactive art showcase in 2023, the garment's hemline seam famously burst during flamenco artist Clara Rodriguez's passionate 12-minute Soleá solo performance. It’s now repaired, and the dress awaits its next wearer.
As a community-taught artist, Musank has successfully recirculated over 300 pounds of textiles back into local communities, embodying her "waste not, wear more" philosophy at the intersection of slow fashion, sustainability, and climate activism.
Paul Gallo (Gallofornia | @paulgallosf), a fashion teacher of City College of San Francisco demonstrated how professional expertise can transform discarded materials into fashion statements. His "Tribute to Westwood" piece featured a vintage jacket adorned with discarded metals and lace trim, with Vivienne's logo crafted from a metallic leather envelope bag.
The "Apocketlypse Ensemble" bomber jacket showcased countless pockets made from used jeans and production scraps, featuring psychedelic flower printed cotton and satin lining.
Beyond his teaching role at City College, Gallo is also an immensely skilled sustainable clothing artisan, author, and an inventor, holding the U.S. Patent for Getta Grip Sewing Clips — proving that fashion education and innovation can drive sustainable practices.
Clementina Martinez-Masarweh (DNA Sustainable Threds | @dnathreds), also known as "The Sustainable Latina," presented her thought-provoking "Cyborg Baby" wearable sculpture. Created from discarded tech, sports gear, and medical waste, the piece served as a stark warning about microplastics infiltrating our bodies. This powerful piece is part of her film "Cyborg Humans: The Future We Chose."
With over 20 years of experience transitioning from fast to slow fashion, Martinez-Masarweh designs and eco-styles for prominent climate activists including Isaias Hernandez and Kristy Drutman. Her upcycled, avant-garde fashion, art, and films challenge the fossil fuel fashion industry and have been showcased on global runways, film festivals, and art galleries.
Regenerative Fashion Pioneers
Alexandria Vasquez (Herderin | @__herderin) brought her sociology PhD expertise to comfort-forward pieces made from Climate Beneficial™ wool and US-grown regenerative fibers. Her research study "Clothing The Self" explores the factors influencing people's clothing decisions, informing her approach to creating garments that prioritize soil health through regional materials and plant-based dyes.
Alexandria was also part of the Threads of Change Reception on Thursday, April 24th with Clementina. Recap for the reception is coming soon!
Natalie Walsh (@minute.musings) displayed "The World on Fire," a visual representation of the climate crisis through natural dyes transitioning from biochar black to fiery reds and greens to clear blue, inspired by climate anxiety, grief, and hope. This fully compostable dress utilized the first-ever Climate Beneficial™ Cotton from the California Cotton & Climate Coalition, supporting carbon farming practices in California.
Beyond her artistic work (tutorials for her work are freely shared on her Instructables page), Natalie co-leads Climate Designers, a global organization empowering designers to act on climate issues. We highly encourage you to check out Climate Designers’ excellent Fashion Design Resources, alongside many industry specific resources.
Technology Meets Sustainability
unspun (@unspun.io) showcased revolutionary Vega™ technology with their 3D-woven pants — the world's first 3D weaving technology for apparel that creates garments directly from yarn. By combining weaving, patterning, cutting, and sewing steps, unspun aims to reduce global carbon emissions by 1% through on-demand manufacturing that eliminates the equivalent of a garbage truck of clothes wasted every second.
We are immensely grateful to feature unspun in our inaugural sustainable fashion exhibition, and we are looking forward to collaborating more in future events.
Nina Bazan-Sakamoto (AirPlantNina | @airplantnina) presented her innovative "Bio-Phashionista W-Air-rior" living wearable art using air plants that breathe, grow, and purify air as they're worn. Her Symbiotic Living Wearable ArTekture establishes a mutual relationship between wearer and plant, where humans become "walking trees" while benefiting from air purification.
Drawing from her mixed Japanese-American heritage and background in International Relations, Bazan-Sakamoto's work creates spaces where art, nature, and activism intersect.
Preserving Craft and Heritage
Nayana Kodesia (NYNA | @nyna_label and @dumroolife) exhibited garments from her "Sense" collection exploring self-identity through silhouettes inspired by sculptor Naum Gabo. Each piece featured over 40 hours of geometric handwork embroidery on Silk Mashru and Silk satin fabric, demonstrating her commitment to preserving indigenous Indian craft traditions through low-waste, made-to-order production that has earned recognition in Vogue UK and Elle India.
Trained at Central Saint Martins and the London College of Fashion, Nayana Kodesia is a fashion designer with over a decade of experience spanning London, New Delhi, Toronto and San Francisco. She has worked with renowned designer Manish Arora, contributing to collections shown at Paris Fashion Week, and collaborated with global brands including Canada Goose and Banana Republic.
Janina Angel Bath (Empress Vintage | @empress_vintage) presented historical pieces that tell stories of California's past, including a purple velvet pantsuit with gold embroidery and beading by I. Magnin and a copper sequin gown by Futura Coutura for Bullocks Wilshire label, complete with suede fringe vest and iconic LOVE necklace. These pieces came from a first-generation immigrant woman who embraced her new identity through fashion.
Since opening Empress Vintage in 2011 and establishing her showroom in San Francisco at 16th & Harrison, Bath has committed to meticulously restoring and preserving garments through specialized cleaning and sewing methods, positioning vintage fashion as a leader in the sustainability movement.
Educational Impact and Community Engagement
Oakland School for the Arts (OSA | @official_osafashion) students showcased remarkable creativity by transforming thousands of obsolete BART paper tickets into spectacular fashion pieces as part of Project Doneway: A Farewell to Paper Tickets.
Led by Fashion Director Stephanie Verrieres, the students reimagined rigid tickets into sculptural silhouettes drawing inspiration from themes of urban life, movement, and Bay Area culture — merging fashion with architectural thinking to transform everyday transit items into wearable art. Their designs ranged from Rococo-inspired drama to Oakland A's streetwear and Swan Lake-inspired feathered elegance.
We’re honored to feature OSA student works by Reyhana Shepard, Isadora Oznowicz, Patricia Barajas-Lopez, Naomi Brack, Ella Marcial, Mayari Zermeno-Reyes, Lila Damany, Evangeline Burger; Annabela Ventresco, Becka Feldman, and Felice Perry.
Recology Artist in Residence (Recology AIR program | @recologyair) displayed works that transform waste materials into thought-provoking fashion statements. The program provides Bay Area artists with access to discarded materials and studio space at the San Francisco Transfer Station, fostering public awareness about resource preservation through education. Since 1990, over 190 professional artists and 60 student artists have participated in this unique sustainability initiative.
For Rethink the Runway’s Threads of Change: A Sustainable Fashion Exhibition, Recology AIR generously loaned three outfits for showcase:
Sandy Drobny's "Evening News" (2004), a fabric woven from plastic bags used to deliver the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
Sarah Barsness's "Wonder Girl" (2006), crafted from a girl's slip, found objects, plastic bags, embroidery thread, and wire.
Jennifer LaMastra's "Clipped Wings" (2012), an intricate piece made from window screening, bike tire tubes, mattress springs, fishing wire, spoons, shower curtain, belt buckle, webbing, snaps, zipper, and thread. This piece was made during the artist's residency at GLEAN in Portland, Oregon — a collaboration of Recology, Metro, the regional government, and Cracked Pots, a non-profit arts organization.
A Vision for Fashion's Future
"Threads of Change" demonstrated that sustainable fashion isn't simply a waste problem. Reducing harm is not enough; we need to revisit our relationship with clothing, materials, and production. The exhibition challenged visitors to reconsider their own wardrobe choices while showcasing the Bay Area's leadership in developing innovative solutions to fashion's environmental challenges.
Through 30-minute docent tours throughout the week, attendees were able to gain insights and take a closer look into techniques ranging from upcycling, technology innovation in the fashion industry, to natural dyeing and regenerative fiber sourcing.
As Rethink the Runway continues its journey, exhibitions like "Threads of Change" provide crucial inspiration and education for both consumers and industry professionals seeking to engage the change makers to encourage meaningful actions.
The success of "Threads of Change" underscores the vital role that creative communities play in highlighting intersections of sectors, driving sustainable innovation collectively. And when creative vision meets support at the right time, powerful transformation becomes possible.
Until next time,
Rethink the Runway Team
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