Chicago Fashion Week is returning for its second year in a row, following a successful 2024 run. Multiple events ran from Oct. 9 to 19. Programming includes exhibits, socials, markets and, of course, runway shows focusing on themes, materials and Chicago’s extensive fashion history. One of the runway events, however, stood out with its goal. 

As a part of Chicago Fashion Week, the “Rewoven Runway: Sustainability on the Runway” is a fashion show aiming to highlight the future of sustainable fashion through the work of six designers. Whether it be the percentage of natural fiber used, the use of surplus materials or upcycling, each of them had to meet certain sustainability requirements. Instead of restricting the designers, the guidelines sparked their creativity. 

According to the UN, 92 million tons of global waste can be attributed to clothing. Not only are the materials unsustainable and lacking in durability, but consumers are buying more clothes than ever before. Chicago Fashion Week is trying to change that. 

“A lot of people don’t know, but the fashion industry takes up a lot of water,” said model Erimas de Leon. “Especially in the age of AI, it’s important to make sure we have clothes that are sustainable.”

The evening opened with a panel of the six designers to discuss their work, their inspirations and the sustainability goals of the evening. Each touched on the abundant waste that the fashion industry created, but made their creative solutions clear. 

“We don’t really think about clothing as something we consume, but we do, even when we just wear it,” said Landon Tate, one of the designers. Tate owns Nolia James, a fashion studio in Chicago dedicated to reusing old fabrics to create one-of-a-kind pieces. The pair of jeans he wore to the event featured stitching that took him two years. “Making sure that they are made well and last a long time helps reduce the amount of physical waste being generated,” Tate said. 

Holly Garrard is the founder of Fundae Footwear, which uses corn and recycled metals to make high heels. To her, commitments to sustainability reduced attractive options and hampered on personal style. It motivated her to work on Fundae’s shoe line, which finds a balance between sustainability and elegance. 

Considering the costs of shopping sustainably, other designers recommended thrifting and upcycling, which involves altering clothes or buying cheap fabric. Looking into founders’ stories on websites and shopping locally are also great ways of gauging sustainability and supporting local fashion infrastructure.

Models featuring the headlining collections walked the runway, displaying the variety in styles and materials to a backdrop of jazz-tech fusion music. Held on the same night as Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show this year, the “Rewoven Runway” show used its stage to uplift sustainable development in fashion, not just show it off. 

“It’s really nice to be a model that makes sure that you’re, you know, presenting yourself in the way that you want to,” Erimas de Leon said.

For second grader Lily Weisbach, the “Rewoven Runway” was an introduction into the world of fashion, one she greatly enjoyed. “The music can get really loud,” she said, referencing the music that played while the models walked. Weisbach said she’d wear the clothes if they were made in her size. 

After the show, guests were able to peruse vendor stands, which advertised the featured designers’ collections as well as independent sellers. Kem McClelland, one of the guests, is a long-time patron of Stephanie Nugent, founder of Indyvin Clothing. Right after the show, she was at Nugent’s stand. “I’ve always loved fashion,” McClelland said. “And now that I’m old, I can afford all the pieces I want.”

Nugent’s collection was inspired by Japanese streetwear, many of the fabrics coming from a trip she took there. She cited the quality of Japanese denim in particular.

“I find it so inspiring that people actually take the sh*t seriously,” said Keely Marolt, a senior at Dominican University, IL, studying fashion. Marolt has incorporated sustainability in her own practice by using ahimsa silk, which is made without harming silk worms in production. “A lot of designers genuinely let the idea of sustainability fly over their head. They do not care at all,” Marolt said.  

Innovation doesn’t only come with the use of materials, hosts spotlighted Alex Ocampo, who was inspired after trying to decide between wearing a FitBit and a family heirloom of his. He became the founder of Ganance, which developed a small sensor that magnetically attaches to a watch’s metal bottom. Once it connects to their app, it allows any watch to perform the same functions as an electric watch. 

“Watches don’t tell time, they tell stories,” Ocampo said. “Instead of creating all new products all the time, how do we take things in our lives that are perfectly functional and basically modernize them instead?”

Chicago Fashion Week makes up for its short history with an acute attention to the present. Every decision made to reflect current issues, and nothing exemplifies this as much as the “Rewoven Runway” has. By demanding that fashion be intertwined with current issues, CHIFW not only earns its place in the fashion world but also points to real communities and real struggles. 

Rahela Tanase, lead stylist for Chicago Fashion Week, attended most of the week’s programming and said she was overwhelmed by the positive response. The Rewoven Runway stood out among them with its mission. “I also think that the other part of the solution is helping people understand themselves better so they’re not consuming too much to try to fill a hole or to feel insecure about what they’re wearing,” she said.

“It’s not just for self-expression, but for self-discovery, and I hope to encourage people to pursue that more,” Tanase added.