A first in San Francisco, GATF’s First Bay Area Ethical Fashion Night on April 4, 2010 brought together 400 key ethical fashion stakeholders under one roof to learn from each other, connect, and foster a community. Industry professionals and consumers came together for the ultimate night of networking and learning at the Hub SoMa in the San Francisco Chronicle building.
Participants learned first-hand about the intricacies, complexities and opportunities in ethical fashion, from fair trade apparel production in Peru to refashioning hospital scrubs into stunning couture gowns. Every detail aligned with the values of ethical fashion. Sponsors generously provided organic, local and fair trade food and beverages, including VeeV Vodka, Alter Eco Chocolate, Mate Veza Beer, Adina Beverages, FairHills Wine, and Stacy Scott Catering,
Seventeen for-profit ethical fashion companies, non-profits, and academic institutions networked and educated participants about how their work positively impacts the world. Visual media discussed the challenges and opportunities of ethical fashion, fair trade, social entrepreneurship, and more. The goal of the night was twofold: first, to educate people about the many approaches one could take as a consumer or a producer to have a positive impact on the world through fashion; and second, to create a community where these companies and institutions could work together to create change. Participants had the opportunity to speak with industry leaders one-on-one to learn, network and collaborate. Discussions ranged from the complex, such as how fair trade supply chains can help thousands of producers get themselves out of poverty, to a simpler explanation about how used plastic bottles can become new clothing. Attendees had the opportunity to handle environmentally responsible fabrics and learn about the detrimental impact many conventional textiles have on the environment. A few participants included Indigenous Designs, Escama Studio, PACT, Vagadu, Stuart+Brown, VIE PR, Eco Citizen Boutique, Medium Reality, Teens Turning Green, Blank Verse Jewelry, The San Francisco Academy of Art, California College of the Arts and San Francisco State University.
Participants left with a greater understanding regarding the impact of their fashion choices on the planet. Professionals left with increased understanding of the opportunities available to improve industry practices with the knowledge that the support network was in place to follow through and implement those changes.
The location in San Francisco was ideal. San Francisco is a recognized hub for the Green movement, social initiatives, and socially and environmentally responsible design. The problem facing San Francisco is that there is no support network for the ethical fashion community and no united movement. There is very little opportunity for different actors to network, collaborate, share best practices, and work together to have significant impact on improving the global apparel industry. At the First Bay Area Ethical Fashion Night, we achieved just that, by bringing key designers and producers together to meet and collaborate. We created the opportunity for leaders to meet on a large scale and, as a result, new partnerships formed.
GATF is particularly passionate about empowering students who are the future of the fashion industry. It was our goal that students would not only learn at our event but also feel ownership of it. University of the Pacific researched and created a display on Social Entrepreneurship and Fashion. San Francisco State University created an interactive map for participants to learn about what part of the world their clothing came from. California College of the Arts and San Francisco Academy of Art featured innovative designs and educational tools created by fashion design students.
The overwhelming success of this endeavor established GATF as a leader in the community. Four hundred participants left engaged, inspired, and empowered to take action in making the world a better place through fashion.
