Themes have long been used as a form of communication in both art and fashion. In art history, themes have been used to communicate political and social messages, while in fashion, themes are often used to evoke a certain emotion or aesthetic. As technology has evolved, themes have become an even more important tool for communication with trends and ideas spreading quickly through social media.  In fashion, themes have the power to convey a wide range of ideas and messages. A fashion collection with a specific theme can be used to communicate cultural references, historical events, or ev ..read more

The Chicago Fashion Coalition (CFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to elevate the fashion community in Chicago by centralizing resources and connecting members. Despite Chicago's rich history in other industries, fashion often gets overlooked. However, the fashion industry has significant benefits beyond the industry itself, including economic and social impacts. Chicago has a thriving art, music, and food scene with a global impact that generates various forms of capital for the city, including financial and social capital. While Chicago may not be able to generate the same revenue a ..read more

Many social media activists have a holier-than-thou mentality but often don’t address the privilege in their perspective. Before we expect others to change we must first do our own due diligence and assess ourselves. This is because radical self-interrogation is the catalyst to change. In this article, I will contextualize the egregious environmental impact of the fast fashion brand Shein, analyze their rapid growth from their business model, and finally provide sustainable alternatives (that won’t break the bank). “Privilege is not in and of itself bad; what matters is what we do with privil ..read more

Who ever said Chicago can’t have its own Met Gala? Definitely not us! – Cue “Chicago Does the Met” hosted by the Chicago Fashion Coalition and Tribe Supper Club.   ..read more

    With the rise of consumers preferring sustainable alternatives and becoming more eco-conscious shoppers, brands have been caught up in the act of greenwashing. What is greenwashing? Greenwashing is the act of utilizing vague or unsubstantiated claims that give an organization a false image of caring for the environment.  CFC’s top 3 things to look out for as a consumer? Vagueness  Carrying out claims and promises of being an eco-friendly brand requires more than just slapping on buzzwords to marketing, website, and labels. Don’t just gravitate towards products th ..read more

CFC x Refiberd. Chicago Fashion Coalition is excited to share a deeper look into our partner Refiberd. and their incredible CEO whom we’ve been working tirelessly with, Sarika Bajaj.  Let’s get started! Share with us your background and journey into the fashion world. “When I was in college in Pittsburgh, I started off as an Electrical Engineering Major at Carnegie Mellon University and realized I didn’t like it that much. My Sophomore year, I got put on Intel’s new fashion division which was surprising to me but here we were. I got to do some pretty cool projects! We had done this projec ..read more

In the early 2010’s I was just a teenager obsessed with designer and labels. If you're from Chicago like me you know the phases of Aeropostale, Hollister, and True Religion, whilst tucking your shirt into your pants so that people can see your Gucci/Louis Vuitton belt. In this blog post, I want to talk about my style evolution from the days of trying to fit in, to expressing myself unapologetically, using fashion as a vehicle for storytelling.  I am the first male on my mom's side to graduate from high school so attending an Ivy League institution was a culture shock. I found myself havi ..read more

Chicago Fashion Coalition is thrilled to introduce our first Holiday Gift Guide! This Holiday Season, the CFC team created an easy-to-shop, local Holiday Gift Guide in support of small businesses. The featured brands in our gifting guide are revolutionizing the fashion industry in Chicago through cutting-edge clothing and forward-thinking designers. All of the brands featured are woman owned, BIPOC owned, and/or sustainable. What makes this Gift Guide unique is that we had the opportunity to speak with each brand and select specific pieces to be included. Whether you are shopping for statemen ..read more

This Earth Day, Chicago Fashion Coalition presents “The Future of Fashion Sustainability,” a conversation with leading voices from fashion design, manufacturing, retail, and activism on how transparency, materials, worker’s rights, and consumption play a key role in achieving global climate goals and creating a more sustainable industry.    Join Rachel Misick as she speaks with Hoda Katebi, worker’s rights activist and founder of Blue Tin Production, William McNicol, founder and lead designer of William Frederick, and Rachel Habegger, global and local supply analyst and sustainabilit ..read more

The Chicago Fashion Coalition (CFC), began when a group of local designers and innovation strategists started working together to remaster and reposition Chicago Fashion Week. Steadfast in the belief in our city as a dominant fashion force, we decided to approach the potential of Chicago Fashion head on. We knew we had to do something new, so our team was built to be cross functional, from the fashion industry and technology as we focused on innovation. We wanted CFC to be truly driven by what the industry wanted, so we took to the streets with a strategically designed survey to determin ..read more