By Matteah Davis, The Seattle Medium
Pacific Northwest Fashion Week started with an idea. Titus Ross, creator of sustainable Seattle-based streetwear brand Thirty+, proposed that he and his fashion colleagues organize events to showcase sustainable fashion brands in the Seattle area.
The first-ever Pacific Northwest Fashion Week took place the last week of January and featured, among other things, a meet and greet hosted by The Chayah Movement and two fashion shows, one hosted by Thirty+ and the other hosted by ClemCreations.
The Chayah Movement is a non-profit organization focused on developing sustainable fashion creatives and companies in Seattle.
“We’re doing what we value, which is bringing community together,” said Zakiya Cita, executive director of The Chayah Movement. “It’s not just a show. We’re gonna elevate and bring everyone on this under the same umbrella.”
Cita decided to transition her company in 2018 from a for-profit fashion brand to a non-profit organization funded by grants and donors after watching a documentary called True Cost, and by observing the environmental impacts of the fashion industry. She said the manufacturing conditions at factories that lead to poor treatment of workers and the high use of water, dye and chemicals were especially striking.
“We are at the intersection of workforce development, environmental impact, and sustainable fashion,” said Cita of her work. “There’s so much waste just in the design process,” such as the scraps that get thrown away after cutting out a pattern.
The Chayah Movement’s main focus is their Advocates-in-Training program, which pairs students from local schools, such as Seattle Central College, with sustainable fashion companies to learn about fashion design, fashion supply chain and fashion marketing. The interns receive 12 weeks of training to learn about the impact of fashion waste and the skills to be successful in the field.
“The work we do focuses on prioritizing marginalized communities, and giving them a footing in the fashion industry,” said Cita.
The Advocates-in-Training Program ends with each student organizing their own community action project, such as a clothing swap, symposium or workshop centered around how to reduce clothing waste.
According to Cita, The Chayah Movement and their event partners weigh the amount of clothes repurposed at the end of each event. So far, the organization has redirected over 35,000 pounds of clothes from the landfill.
Cita said these events give the Advocates-in-Training the opportunity to think about their impact as fashion creatives and to educate their communities.
The Chayah Movement hosted the first event of this year’s Pacific Northwest Fashion Week on Friday, Jan. 24–a meet and greet at Slip and Slide Gallery in Belltown. Seventy-five creatives from fields including fashion, jewelry, photography and visual arts gathered to make connections and share their projects.
Attendees included Nat of La Paisia (who hosted a free virtual fashion show on Friday, Jan. 31) as well as Miesha Russell and Monika Thorton-Lawerence of the Seattle-based Fashion Talk Tuesday podcast.
Events continued on Saturday, Jan. 25 with a fashion show hosted by Thirty+ at Quality Flea Center in Capitol Hill. It featured two designers and two musical performers, Dex Danga and Miaki’l.
The second show, on Sunday, Jan. 26, was hosted by Clementine Cimetiere of ClemCreations. This was her first-ever fashion show.
“The experience was incredible. The team was so fantastic and supportive,” she said.
Cimetiere started her brand after finding a love of sewing and re-creating styles with what she had during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I saw people making stuff that I wanted, but I didn’t necessarily have the money to buy it from them,” she said.
All of her clothes are made out of second-hand material.
“Clothes are a part of history, and that’s what I really like keeping alive,” Cimetiere said.
The theme for her show was Surrender to Love. While it is her Valentine’s Day collection that pulls reds, pinks, hearts, and teddy bears from the holiday, it also has a deeper meaning for Cimetiere.
“In times of hate and bigotry, all we can do is surrender to love. The one thing we all have in common is that we love someone, and I think that’s a beautiful thing,” she said.
The designs from her show are now available to purchase on the ClemCreations website.
Both fashion shows featured information booths with literature about sustainable fashion, a coat drive to provide students with warm clothes, and various vendors, including a tattoo artist.
The coat drive was hosted by the Black Equity Coalition, which focuses on bringing knowledge, resources and opportunities to underprivileged students, according to Ross. They’ve built a relationship over the years by running workshops together at Panther Lake Elementary School in Federal Way.
“I’m the type to always try and give back and share the spotlight with the people I know have great intentions,” he said.
According to Ross, attendance was over 150 people between the two shows. He said he hopes that the fashion community in the Pacific Northwest expands so that companies are able to have friendly competition and push each other to be better.
Ross said this could also bring revenue and tourism to Seattle as the fashion scene here could draw in interested communities from places like Salt Lake City, New York City and Los Angeles.
Cimetiere also sees potential for the growth of the fashion community in the Pacific Northwest. “I think people are ready for bigger and better options,” she said.
Source: Seattle Medium
