Be A Part Of Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago 2025

We invite all eligible designers to submit their work and share their vision for a more sustainable future in fashion!

Eligible Fashion Designers, Submit An Application Today!

Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago (SFW Chicago) provides year-round ethical, environmental, and educational fashion programming, leading up to its annual 9-day Sustainable Fashion Week event which unites people, neighborhoods, and industries to reimagine fashion.

SFW Chicago’s mission is to provide sustainable information, resources, and events for Chicago and the wider Illinois community to understand how we can wear, appreciate, and work in fashion with minimal planetary impact. 

About The Opportunity

SFW Chicago presents the opportunity to showcase sustainable designers during Sustainable Fashion Week 2025 through its annual fashion show. This opportunity is open to students and professionals alike. This is an opportunity to showcase environmental priority in fashion, creativity, and the designer’s vision for a more sustainable fashion industry.

Eligibility

All designers and organizations submitting must align with SFW Chicago’s sustainable values by proving any claims to pursue its environmental efforts and commitment. 

To Be Considered, Designers Must Be:

  • Aged 18+
  • Available from 4 pm onwards on September 27, 2025, or October 4, 2025, for the fashion show and pre-show walkthrough.
  • Provide high-resolution images of their completed design by August 1, 2025.
  • Applying as an individual (not as a team or group submission).
  • Able to submit at least one original full-look design (either an existing garment or a design concept that will be created for the show) but no more than three.
  • Able to sign a publicity/liability release permitting Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago to use the name and likeness of designers as well as images of the garment in publicity materials.
Submit Application

Application Deadline: June 20, 2025

  

Application Guidelines

All interested designers must submit their applications by Friday, June 20, 2025, through the official submission portal at: https://forms.gle/joCCGBxS82iwtGNn7. Selected designers will be notified via email and must confirm their participation by July 1, 2025, at noon CST.

Required Submission Material:

  • Full name and contact information (email, phone number).
  • Biography (250 words).
  • Headshot or similar professional-looking photo.
  • Social media handles (Instagram, TikTok, X, etc.).
  • Portfolio link or website (if available).
  • Sketch of the proposed design or a photo of the completed outfit being submitted.
  • Description of design & materials (300 words). Must include details on the use of sustainable materials and the garment’s construction.

Design Criteria

A curatorial panel will review all submissions and invite selected designers to show their work based on: environmental sustainability, creativity, originality, and design execution.

The submission must be a single outfit (Menswear, Womenswear, or Unisex). The garment must be constructed primarily from recycled, upcycled, or sustainable materials. The design must be an original work by the applicant and cannot include third-party logos, copyrighted, or trademarked materials. The design may be an existing garment OR a concept that will be created for the show. The garment must adhere to professional presentation standards and align with sustainability principles. Design must not feature offensive, political, religious, or commercial messaging, and must not promote firearms, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or any illegal content.

Questions?

Please contact Macaila Britton at info@sfwchicago.com with the subject line “Question: SFW25 Runway”