Sew Loka, the Barrio Logan-inspired clothing brand, prepares the runway for its first fashion show

calico 11/23/2023

To say that designer Claudia Biezunski-Rodriguez is excited would be an understatement.

Biezunski-Rodriguez, the brainchild and driving force behind the homegrown fashion brand Sew Loka, moved to San Diego from the San Fernando Valley in 2010, honing her craft and earning a living as a tailor working on custom sewing projects. At the beginning of the pandemic, she began sewing masks, giving them to the community for free.

“I did not charge anything for the masks because I viewed them as a basic human need, and I did not want to profit off of my community during a public health crisis. I wanted to prove to the people around me that I will always be an asset to them, even during the darkest of times,” Biezunski-Rodriguez told the Union-Tribune in 2021.

When masks were no longer scarce, she realized her old business model of custom sewing was not sustainable. The market had shifted, and as a result, she, too, would need to shift. The result was making and selling her own designs.

She told her husband: “Screw it, let’s make our own designs and sell them — no more custom anything,” she said in 2021. “Thankfully, the community has really and truly embraced our brand and supported our shop throughout this very critical transition.”

Now, back to why Biezunski-Rodriguez is excited: For the first time, she is producing a fashion show — scheduled for Dec. 9, the day of the popular Barrio Art Crawl — that’s meant to showcase and celebrate the “slow fashion” movement, which espouses a sustainable and ethical approach to fashion.

A daylong event at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights, anchored by the fashion show at 7 p.m., will feature an art exhibit, live entertainment, an embroidery lounge and a market for artisans.

Designer Claudia Biezunski-Rodriguez, the driving force and brainchild behind the fashion brand Sew Loka.

(Courtesy of Sew Loka)

The fashion show, which will feature 15 of Biezunski-Rodriguez’s original designs, has been a dream for a decade.

“Yes, this fashion show has been 10 years in the making, but for me, personally, I feel like it is happening at the perfect time. I’ve spent the last decade cutting and sewing every single day, sharpening my skills and preparing for this moment, and now it’s finally here, and I feel ready,” said Biezunski-Rodriguez, whose brick-and-mortar space on Logan Avenue in Barrio Logan, also called Sew Loka, serves as a retail space but also a creative space for her and other designers.

“I don’t feel nervous or overwhelmed, I just feel excited. I want people to see what I’ve been working on, and I also want them to experience something completely new.”

In addition to growing her fashion brand, Biezunski-Rodriguez has made it a priority to showcase and celebrate San Diego artists. She has helped organize local exhibitions and is proud of the art show that’s part of the event on Dec. 9.

“We definitely have a lot of very cool things happening throughout the day, but one thing I am really excited about is our ‘You Reap What You Sew’ group art show, curated by Studio IX and featuring 25-plus local artists,” Biezunski-Rodriguez said Tuesday. “We have so many amazing San Diego artists participating in this show, and all of their completed artwork will be displayed along the runway walls. Their beautiful paintings will be incorporated into the final fashion show, and I am so excited to see what everyone creates.”

The art show’s title — “You Reap What You Sew” — just happens to be the theme driving the entire event, Biezunski-Rodriguez said.

It’s “a phrase that has always been a positive, guiding principle throughout my life,” she said. “The more hard work you do, especially when no one is looking, the more you will get back in the end.

“I truly believe this. Nothing great happens overnight. It took us 10 years of hard work and effort to get to this point and now, a decade later, we are finally ready to celebrate the fruits of our labor with our friends, family and community.”