Inside Hudson Valley’s Sustainable Fashion Week: Clothing with Care
HVSFW Banner - Photo Credit: Ilan Harel Photography
By Taylor Nevin
Bright blue skies, fresh smells of grass with a faded sense of apples, and soft strums of a live guitar. Attending Hudson Valley’s Sustainable Fashion Week was as inspiring as it was gorgeous; seeing creations made with love for the earth against the wholesomely stunning backdrop of Rose Hill Farm seemed to pave a new path, or runway, within fashion sustainability.
The show experience started with an incredible insight into each designer's ethos and brand personality through the pop-up shop located outside of the main barn. It was amazing to see the stitches, dyes, and yarns up close; to feel the love and care that went into the making of each piece. Exploring the brands was so much fun with the help of the bubbly and extremely informative HVSFW volunteers. I must confess, as a sustainable fashion enthusiast, the So Vicki rack was hard for me to walk away from. I love supporting people as businesses and knowing my purchases are saving quality fabrics from the landfill. So Vicki’s designs had an original blend of modern, shown through detail and construction techniques, and vintage, artfully showcased in the silhouette and fabrication. The Blue Dot Appliqué Biker Jacket was my favorite piece I saw on the rack.
Rose Hill Farm was the most amazing venue, complete with a bar serving locally sourced food and delightful drinks, and breathtaking views. Exploring the farm put me in the right mindset to appreciate the “S” in HVSFW. Chatting with the farm employees about the land reminded me why it is so important to preserve and work with the earth in our love for fashion rather than against her.
The show began, and the talented Ginger Winn provided gentle live background music, the perfect addition to the tall flowers in the center of the runway that set the scene. Every look that walked past felt intentional and fabulously scrappy. My favorite sustainably driven fashion looks always dance the line between aesthetically holistic and refreshingly modern. Each of the eight featured designers balanced that incredibly. The looks that stood out most to me were the ones where the story of an old piece echoed through the modernized construction of the garment. The models each understood a story with their piece and delivered it in their walks and expressions. One model duo, appearing as mother and daughter, really brought the pieces to life; it was easy to imagine strolling through town or going to lunch with loved ones while showcasing the earthy and grounded aesthetic of the designs walking alongside them.
As a stylist, HVSFW inspired me to reframe the societal expectation of what sustainability means. We, as a fashion community, tend to treat ethical clothing options as special occasion outfits because the cost is typically comparable to that of a new luxury piece. But we can use the stories that come with these garments to enhance outfit narratives, making getting dressed every day a special occasion.
As a fashion writer, HVSFW inspired me to use my voice to advocate for items that deserve a second or third, maybe even fourth, life. Clothing is what we wear, but fashion is why and how we wear it. Seeing looks on the runway that spanned from everyday to costume challenged societal norms of what can be seen as a wearable item. Saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is outdated. With events like HVSFW, we can put society on the path to saying, “If it will live longer than us, it’s part of someone’s story.”
And lastly, as a consumer, HVSFW inspired me to think about where my clothes come from. Everything starts with the earth. Whether that be from a natural fiber like cotton, linen, or flax, or the natural energy sources required to produce synthetic material, never mind the land to build factories on, fashion, new or upcycled, starts in the same place. Planting roots in fashion hasnever been more important, as our world evolves at an even faster pace. Money is the action we can take to support our voice, and supporting brands that align with our morals is how we work toward a more sustainable future. HVSFW reminded me that sustainability in fashion isn’t just about fabric, but about storytelling, community, and respect for the earth. Leaving Rose Hill Farm, I carried with me not just two bottles of wine from the farm’s bar and a phone full of images of beautiful garments, but also the sense that fashion can truly be a living dialogue between past and future, stitched together by passion and care.
Taylor Nevin is a stylist and creative director with a focus on intentional, narrative-driven fashion storytelling. Learn more at taylornevin.com