The City of San Diego took a stand this week in the fight to combat textile waste.
On Tuesday, San Diego City Council designated the second Sunday of November as Slow Fashion Day across San Diego, the first major U.S. city to officially recognize a Slow Fashion Day. Organizers say this will help build a sustainability movement in the region and make the city a model for other cities across the country looking to become more eco-conscious.
Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion, which is the design, creation, and marketing of trendy clothing made quickly and cheaply available to customers, according to the Associated Press. Fast fashion takes a huge toll on the environment. The United Nations said this business model is largely responsible for the climate crisis, positioning itself as the second-most polluting industry on the planet.
NBC 7’s Melissa Sandoval explains how our love for fashion could be clashing with the love for the planet.
On the other hand, slow fashion advocates for a manufacturing system which respects people, the environment and animals.
Barrio Logan textile artist Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski and organizer Chris Carson, along with Councilmember Vivian Moreno championed the effort for Slow Fashion Day.
Rodriguez-Biezunski founded and runs Sew Loka, a slow fashion business in the heart of Barrio Logan’s vibrant artists community.
“This isn’t just a proclamation – it’s a commitment to transform how our community thinks about clothing,” Rodriguez-Biezunski told NBC 7.
The seamstress added that city council’s official support legitimizes the sustainability movement and conveys to the community that it isn’t just a trend, but their future.
“This proclamation will help us secure resources, build partnerships with schools and businesses, and make Slow Fashion Day an annual tradition that grows stronger each year,” Rodriguez-Biezunski said.
More than 500 people are expected to attend a celebration of the first annual Slow Fashion Day in downtown San Diego on Sunday. The free event will feature an upcycled fashion show, upcycling workshops, local sustainable vendors, a sustainability panel, live music, food, drinks and more.
The event will take place at The Lane event venue on the second floor from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a piece of clothing from home to upcycle or repair.
San Diego City Council proclaimed the second Sunday of November as Slow Fashion Day in the city on Nov. 4, 2025. (Photo credit: Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski)