Join Solana Center for Environmental Innovation for our 2025 Zero Waste Textile Expo– an event to educate our community about the impact of clothing and textile waste, and the urgent need to move towards more sustainable models in fashion. We’re delighted to have local professionals in the textile and clothing design industry provide demonstrations and insight.

This family-friendly event features:

• • Interactive displays and activities that will teach you how you can be part of the solution!

• • Clothing Swap: bring your clean, new or used items to swap (limit 2 grocery bags’ worth)

• • Crafting for kids and adults.

• • Creative upcycling ideas from local fashion designers

• • San Diego Fix-It Clinic, join us for a delightful mini textile repair clinic, where you can bring your textile items that need a little love and mending. Please fill out the RSVP form to help us ensure that we have plenty of volunteers on hand to assist you. Please note that registration will close two days before the event. No worries if you can’t make it on time; we always welcome walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis! Just arrive before 3:30 PM. We will not be accepting any more people after 3:30 PM.

Local sustainable vendors will include:

• • CA Originals by Kathryn – Selling locally handmade clothing & accessories made from vintage, recycled, repurposed textiles.

• • Custodians of the Sea – Apparel made from salvaged and sustainable fibers

• • Be Creative Zone – Guiding the crafting zone with hands-on demonstrations of the process of making rugs from old socks.

• • Best Coast Bags – Selling bags, napkins, potholders, and other textile housewares from old jeans, upcycled shirts, fabric scraps, etc.

• • Goodwill Industries of San Diego County – Offering a DIY craft: make a reusable bag out of donated t-shirts along with education on Goodwill’s process for handling textiles and the importance of repurposing your textiles. They will also have small textile items for sale.

• • Muxu Creations – Selling products that are made using only preexisting textiles: Patches made from reclaimed cotton with watercolor designs printed using water-based ink, zipper pouches crafted from swatches, art reproductions on reclaimed cotton, reworked denim jackets, start-to-finish jackets made from quilts, blankets, and other preexisting textiles.

• • The Bountiful Bag – Upcycled merchandise made from San Diego plastic waste and excess textiles from the home decor industry and furniture showrooms.

• • Algenesis Corporation – Showcasing BLUEVIEW plant-based and biodegradable footwear, with information on where attendees can purchase products.

• • Kornelija Art – Selling upcycled, hand-painted clothes and clothing patches, as well as a patching station where event participants can bring in their old clothes and can either hand sew their own patches or request Kornelija to do so for them.

  Interested in helping out as a volunteer at this event? See the details. Questions? Please contact us at education@solanacenter.org   Please note – this event is open to the public and registration is not required. Please click the “RSVP” button only if you’d like a reminder email before the event.