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Fashion enthusiasts, mark your calendars! Kilburn Mill to celebrate local fashion on May 4

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NEW BEDFORD — Behind the city’s rich history in the textile and fishing industries, there is a growing movement of sustainability in the fashion industry.

“I wanted to put together a fashion show that highlights all the creativity going on in New Bedford that designers and vintage resellers are doing that basically have connects back to what I’m doing at my shop with sustainability in the fashion industry,” said Claudia DeSousa-Baptista, owner of Bushwood Tailors Opportunity Shop.

On May 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Kilburn Mill Event Center located at 127 West Rodney French Blvd., DeSousa-Baptista will host Runway Revolution, a fashion show towards conscious style and sustainability.

“The concept for the show revolves around all different sorts of sustainable ways to approach getting dressed and all of the people in New Bedford and surrounding areas that are working in this way,” DeSousa-Baptista said.

“People that are upcycling, or using natural dyes to dye fabric, and using natural fabrics as well as wearing secondhand clothes. So the vintage sellers that are here.”

DESIGN: NYC fashion designer offers her upcycling eye for design at New Bedford’s Kilburn Mill.

South Coast artists and designs participate in fashion show

Teaming up with Rhonda Fazio of Dyer Maker, DeSousa-Baptista has created the organization Fashion Rev NB, using the fashion show as a way to launch their mission that promotes sustainable and ethical practices in the fashion industry.

The event will also showcase the work of local designers and vintage sellers who are using eco-friendly and ethical methods to create their pieces such as Chaska England of The Quilt Spot, Trey Texeira of Six Shooter, Megan Thomas of Maypole Weavers, Damien Thomas, Aidil Timas of Arcane by Aidil Timas, Korie Ellis of Falling Off Trees, Alder & Alder, Emily Rose Aaron of Safety Pin Era, Emily Moniz, Jeanne Mogayzel, Navas Studio Collective, UMass Dartmouth’s Sustainable Fashion Class, Gamine Vintage, Rare Indigo, Hewn and Sam’s Closet.

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Graphic arts major with a minor in fashion design, UMass Dartmouth Junior Ruby Louro is an integral part of the team handling marketing and graphic design as well as showing her work in the show.

All about promoting eco-friendly fashion in a fun way

But the fashion show isn’t just about promoting eco-friendly and ethical fashion, it’s also about making the topic fun and appealing to everyone.

“We wanted to also make it really fun and something that’s appealing to all different kinds of people and try to encourage more people to think about the different issues that are going on with fashion in relation to the environment and in the way that clothing is produced,” DeSousa-Baptista said.

“And we’ll be talking about all the different ways people can do that at the show, we’ll be showcasing the work of all of these different people.”

In addition to the runway show, the event will also feature work displayed on mannequins with information provided about the artists and their sustainable practices.

DeSousa-Baptista said the fashion show is an extension of the work of Fashion Revolution, a worldwide organization dedicated to promoting sustainable and ethical practices in the fashion industry. “Every year, they do a Fashion Revolution week, where they do all sorts of events, and highlight all sorts of people that are doing this work,” she added.

“And it’s really about getting as many people on the planet to do their little parts.”

Hoping to reshape the ‘recycled’ fashion industry

The fashion industry is notorious for overproducing, DeSousa-Baptista hopes the event will shed light on this issue through the fashion show.

“Right now, there are enough clothing on the planet to clothe the next six generations of human beings on the entire planet,” she said. “We are being convinced on a daily basis that we need to follow all of these micro trends that are constantly changing every week.”

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DeSousa-Baptista said that the overproduction is not just a problem for fast fashion brands such as Shein and H&M, but also for most commercial and corporate clothing brands. “They don’t have a way to properly recycle garments,” she said.

“A lot of times garments are made with not just natural fabrics, but made with synthetics, which can’t be broken down into a new version of that.”

To combat this issue, DeSousa-Baptista encourages people to consume less, shop secondhand and support local small businesses. She also believes in getting garments tailored to make them last longer instead of disposing of them.

Trying to reprogram minds around fashion industry

But the problem of overproduction doesn’t just affect the environment, it also has human consequences. “It’s a hard thing to think about. And a lot of people don’t want to think about it, because it’s clouded by people get sucked into trends and wanting to look cool,” she said, adding that the fashion industry continues to make progress towards sustainability and accountability.

“There are some bills that are actually on the table right now in the United States and in France, to combat some of this. So there is movement on a policy level happening.”

DeSousa-Baptista and her team are hopeful that events such as the fashion show will inspire people to make changes in their own lives and support sustainable and ethical fashion practices.

More: The Black Whale opens its newly renovated patio. Here’s what’s new.

“We think the more and more people who get educated on this and speak out and are acting with their wallets, it will put the pressure on the brands,” she said.

“We think that we can help people get inspired to shop differently and the way they partake in this fashion system.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased through Bushwood Tailors Opportunity Shop.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

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