Portland Fashion Week....
We encourage all event organizers and fashion show producers in particular to follow the guidelines as set forth by the CFDA and to follow both their suggestions and our examples whenever possible.
Here is your insider’s view to what we do, and how we do it.
At Portland Fashion Week we realize that "Fast Fashion" in general, and fashion shows and related events specifically, can more often than not create an unnecessary burden and create an incredibly huge toll on our environment. Usually involving large amounts of electricity for lighting, and great quantities of gasoline and diesel for transportation, and generating large amounts of refuse and waste, there is very little trade off where fashion shows and the environment are concerned.
However at Portland Fashion Week our event organizers know this, and so take all factors inherent to sustainability into account when organizing all aspects of our events as suggested by the CFDA's Guide to Sustainable Strategies. Using their guidelines and ones of our own which we have “tailored” for over 20 years, our endeavors and considerations include but are not limited to:
• Site selection.
• Transport of attendees.
• Recruiting and training of the event workforce and participants.
• Designer selection.
• Cruelty Free and Environmentally Conscious Styling products.
• Locally sourcing of our events materials, supplies and services.
• Managing and mitigating our impacts on local, regional and global communities, environments, and economies.
• Planning our legacies such as erasing our carbon footprint with our ambitious annual tree planting efforts and ground water purification campaigns.
• And taking into account international standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Some of our internal guidelines, endeavors and history:
• We select sustainable local vendors and sponsors which when possible already utilize their own sustainability policies or are in the process of creating them.
• Using venues and materials that already exist as opposed to building out with new resources.
• If possible, we use an existing venue which already offers the services which we require minimizing transporting issues and additional requirements.
• Our plastics free initiative adopted in 2019 uses glass ware when able or at least compostable drinking receptacles as well as wooden spoons and chopsticks as eating utensils.
• We have banned the use of cleaning chemicals or other products which are not eco-friendly and that harm people, animals, or the environment.
• We work with our venue and our vendors ensuring all cleaning waste and any other wastewater are disposed of appropriately, mitigating damage to the local ground water and environment.
• We have banned the offering and supply consumption of bottled water for our attendees.
• We use less and cleaner energy when possible.
• We reduce our event's carbon footprint whenever possible.
• We use an event online carbon calculator like one will find from Carbonfund when needed.
• Use of carbon offsets.
• Use of Renewable Energy.
• We monitor, measure and reduce our power consumption.
• We use low consumptive lighting and equipment such as LEDs whenever possible.
• We aim for zero waste by recyclable products or by composting our refuse when possible.
• We use electronic communication methods over paper whenever possible and use post consumer recycled paper and vegetable or water based based inks exclusively.
• We use digital marketing, tickets, and nightly programs.
• We use only natural non-disposable set and event decor.
• Whenever possible, we use pre-existing materials.
• When possible and in general, we aim for a more minimal aesthetic.
• When possible we donate used materials back to our local community.
• We ask our caterers to donate unused food items back to local organizations, such as shelters and to the homeless.
• When possible we use low-impact modes of transportation such as e-scooters, and public transportation.
• We take transportation into account when selecting a venue.
• We select venues which have easy access to public transportation and when long-distance travel is required, take into account transportation hubs.
• With our hotel accommodation, we make certain it is within walking distance of our venues.
• We promote and at times provide low-impact modes of transportation such as bikes, e cars and e scooters.
• When possible, we encourage biking or public transportation both to and from our events.
• We suggest carpooling services and their use of low-emission vehicles.
• We utilize digital or electronic means of communication such as teleconferencing or live-streaming business meetings whenever possible.
• When possible we use low-impact transportation and shipping for transportation of all goods related to the events, or make sure carry as much as possible per load.
• We solely work with local vendors for all aspects of our events.
• We avoid last-minute event planning and execution.
• We use a sustainable ''red carpet'' such as our recycled water bottle carpet and ''Petey the world famous PDX Airport Carpeting".
• And finally we have offset our events' yearly carbon foot prints since 2007 by planting a forest of over 15,000 native trees and food bearing shrubs for wildlife. Bringing back the endangered coho salmon to the upper reaches of the Johnson creek watershed in so doing.
It isn't what we do, but instead it is how we do it.
Since 2002 our company has had an incredible opportunity to create change and positive impact through our sustainability, philanthropy and civic engagements. These programs help us raise our collective standards of living, our city's livability; effect positive changes on local, regional and global issues; and create an added business value.
There are many ways in which YOU can make a difference as well, including beginning your own sustainable practices and initiatives, and financial donations in the form of corporate sponsorship to our organization which in turn create further opportunities for others and generates incentives for your company's employees. Incentives can include your employees volunteering their time as you team with us on our numerous ancillary events, creating their own sustainable practices, and reducing, reusing, and recycling whenever possible. You can also team with us on any of our myriad ancillary events such as our annual charity golf tourney, summertime ice cream social, and support us in our invitations to partake in local festivals and events. Our local festivals and events also include participation within Portland Cocktail Week, the Kumoricon Anime Convention, our annual clothing drive held every Veteran’s Day weekend since 2002, our Day After Derby Day, and our Werewolves' Beard Ball and Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls Parties hosted back to back for the last weekends of October just to name a few.
In 2005 Vogue Magazine honored us by declaring Portland Fashion Week as the 1st fashion week in the world to showcase sustainable fashions in a stand alone event, followed by Book Moda- the Runway Bible of the world stating in 2007 that we were then the most sustainable fashion week on earth. By 2015 we had indelibly made our mark when The Huffington Post gave an approving nod to Portland Fashion Week in so stating that PFW as the world's only carbon negative fashion week. In 2015 as well the CFDA interviewed our executive producer and lauded his vision and leadership where ethical fashion show production is concerned. He was the only such producer to be so interviewed. We are very proud of our accomplishments and contributions to individuals and the community which makes It hard for us to pick a favorite when asked, though many others have.
Since all are accolades and honors which we are greatly proud of, we just diligently work hard to uphold our values and help when able.
So will you please join us as we celebrate our 22nd year in 2023 leading the sustainable apparel community by example, "Keeping Portland Pretty", and proving that our mantra of ''reducing, reusing, and recycling'' is an easy standard to bear and one which we should all proudly wave.