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Empowering designers around the world
From runway to opportunity: Fashion Community Week, celebrates 22nd season. Shirin Hashem, founder of Fashion Community Week in San Francisco and Maya Presaud, founder of Espero Atelier in Paris, talk empowering designers around the world.
OAKLAND, Calif. - During Women’s History Month, women across industries are being recognized for their leadership and impact. In San Francisco, that impact is taking shape on the runway and behind the scenes at the award-winning Fashion Community Week, which just wrapped its 22nd season.
This year’s four-day event centered on the theme "Future of Fashion Conference," bringing together designers, stylists, students and industry leaders from around the world to explore sustainability, innovation and the global influence of fashion.
Platform for emerging designers
The event was founded by Shirin Hashem, who created the platform more than two decades ago after building a career across the fashion industry.
Hashem worked with several fashion conglomerates, starting in wholesale buying before moving into management and consulting in business development. When she moved to San Francisco, she noticed that the city known for innovation lacked opportunities for rising designers.
"There wasn’t enough platform for emerging designers, especially those focused on sustainability," Hashem said.
Inspired by the creativity and entrepreneurial energy of the Bay Area, she launched Fashion Community Week to give emerging talent a place to grow.
Shirin Hashem: "I started this platform for emerging fashion designers, designers who are sustainable as well. It has transformed into a platform for emerging makeup and hair artists, stylists, models, and as well as some students who are looking for field work in the industry. So they get to do all the backstage work as well."
Today, the event has grown into a global gathering that connects creatives from different cultures and backgrounds.
Fashion creating opportunity for refugees
This year’s conference also highlighted the role fashion can play in social impact.
One panel featured Maya Presaud, founder of Espero Atelier in Paris, an organization that trains refugees to work in fashion and launch their own brands.
Presaud, an American who has lived in Paris for more than 10 years, co-founded the program in 2016 during the refugee crisis triggered by the war in Syria.
Maya Presaud: "I got together with three friends and we asked—what can we do to accompany these newcomers, people who had to flee their country and can’t go back? How can we help them find their place in French society?"
Today, Espero Atelier employs about 30 people, more than 90 percent women, from countries including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran and Eritrea.
The organization operates two ateliers that produce garments for both local designers and major fashion houses while working within the circular fashion economy.
Presaud says refugees often face tremendous hardship before rebuilding their lives.
"They don’t start over at zero—they start at negative zero," she explained, describing the loss many experience after leaving behind their homes, communities and families.
Despite those challenges, Presaud says refugees bring remarkable resilience.
"A lot of the refugees that I work with volunteer to help others in France. They’re the most generous community I’ve ever met. They’ve taught me a lot about stoicism and generosity, and they come with a wealth of knowledge and skills."
Hashem says that determination is something she sees across the creative community.
"When I came to San Francisco, I met many people—with papers or without. But one thing that was common between all of us is that everybody was hungry for an experience to learn and to grow."
Celebrating French culture and sustainability
As part of the week’s programming, Fashion Community Week also partnered with Villa Albertine for a special evening celebrating French fashion and sustainability during International Francophonie Month, which honors the French language and cultures around the world.
Villa Albertine, a division of the Embassy of France in the United States, works to promote French culture and language while strengthening partnerships between French and American institutions.
During the event, Paul Salvaire, Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, spoke about fashion’s broader role beyond the runway.
"Fashion is a huge industry. Beyond the glamour, it’s important that it respects the planet’s boundaries. Events like this help connect our communities while discussing sustainability, culture and the integration of people, including refugees." Salvaire said.
Consulate officials say events like these also highlight the Bay Area’s strong French presence. About 17,000 French nationals are registered in the region, while the broader French population is estimated at nearly 37,000 people working across industries.
Connecting cultures through fashion
This year’s Fashion Community Week featured 10 designers, including two local talents and international designers from the United Arab Emirates, India, Congo, Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Organizers say the event continues to grow as a space where fashion intersects with culture, sustainability and opportunity.
For Hashem and Presaud, their shared mission is clear: creating pathways for immigrants, refugees and emerging creatives while using fashion to connect diverse communities.
The 23rd season of Fashion Community Week is already scheduled for the last week of September in San Francisco, continuing a tradition that blends global fashion with purpose.