SF Fashion Festival 2025: Fantasia — Where Imagination Took the Runway
- Melissa Dulanto
- Dec 28, 2025
- 7 min read
A Vision Beyond Reality
San Francisco once again proved itself a global creative capital as SF Fashion Festival 2025 returned for its 5th anniversary, unfolding under the enchanting theme “Fantasia.” Held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Sandbox VR, 767 Market Street, the sold-out festival transcended the traditional runway, transforming fashion into a living dreamscape where imagination, artistry, and innovation converged.
As the Bay Area’s premier fashion and lifestyle showcase, SF Fashion Festival united designers, beauty brands, industry leaders, media, and tastemakers for an immersive evening of runway presentations, thought-provoking panels, and interactive brand activations. Set against San Francisco’s vibrant cultural backdrop, Fantasia invited audiences to step beyond reality and into worlds shaped by myth, fantasy, and boundless creativity.
From ethereal silhouettes to bold avant-garde statements, the festival celebrated fashion not only as wearable art, but as storytelling in motion.
A Vision Beyond Reality
The Fantasia theme challenged designers to reimagine the limits of form, texture, and narrative. Across seven dynamic runway shows, collections drew inspiration from folklore, surrealism, futuristic visions, and inner emotional landscapes—each telling a distinct story while contributing to a shared dreamlike universe.
Designers including YEON (NYC), Nancy Vuu, Ashlyn So, Haemi Lee, B Chics Fashion Boutique, Veejay Floresca and Joanna Jia Couture showcased looks ranging from ready-to-wear to couture. Flowing fabrics mimicked air and movement, sculptural silhouettes defied gravity, and unexpected color palettes evoked both softness and intensity.
Each runway presentation felt cinematic. Models glided and commanded the space, blurring the line between fashion show and performance art. The result was an immersive experience that transported attendees into parallel worlds shaped by creativity, craftsmanship, and fearless expression.
ASHLYN
Ashlyn So is a 17-year-old fashion designer, activist, and creative visionary who is redefining what it means to be a young voice in the fashion world. Known for her signature demi-couture designs that blend avant-garde silhouettes with cultural and social commentary, Ashlyn uses fashion as a tool for storytelling, empowerment, and activism. Gaining national attention at just 12 years old, Ashlyn has showcased her collections from New York Fashion Week to Paris Fashion Week, using fashion as a platform to advocate for social causes, including Stop Asian Hate and mental health awareness. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Los Angeles Times and on The Ellen Show to name a few, and she was the subject of an Emmy Award-winning ABC documentary. Beyond fashion, Ashlyn is committed to inspiring the next generation, proving that creativity and activism can go hand in hand.
About the Collection
Recolored is a journey back to our true selves. Like thriving coral reefs, we are born full of color, hope, and possibility. But life’s pressures, expectations, and the push to conform can fade that vibrancy. This collection is about renewal, finding the courage to live in truth, love, and kindness, and helping others do the same. Just as reefs can only regrow through collective care, we too thrive when we lift each other up. Recolored is both a metaphor and a call to action: to protect what is fragile, nurture what is unique, and celebrate the full spectrum of life.
Website:
Social Media: Instagram @ashlynso_ https://www.instagram.com/ashlynso_
YEON
On the Fantasia runway, YEON delivered a quietly powerful vision—one rooted in restraint, precision, and emotional depth. The NYC-based designer is known for sculptural silhouettes and elevated tailoring, and her presentation unfolded as a study in balance: strength and softness, structure and fluidity, fantasy and reality. Each look felt deliberate and intimate, anchoring imagination in contemporary elegance while allowing form and fabric to speak with intention.
Yeon’s design language is deeply personal. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, her earliest relationship with fashion began through her mother’s sewing practice—transforming leftover fabrics into something new long before sustainability became an industry mandate. That instinct for thoughtful creation continues to define her work today.
After moving to New York City at twenty-one, Yeon honed her craft at Parsons School of Design, with formative experiences at Thakoon, Proenza Schouler, and the Donna Karan Collection shaping her understanding of modern luxury. When she launched her namesake label in 2017, it followed years of research, textile development, and apprenticeship with master artisans in France—a foundation evident in the refined craftsmanship of her designs.
Since 2020, YEON has embraced a slow fashion model, releasing a single, carefully curated look each month. This intentional rhythm allows for deeper exploration of silhouette and material while minimizing waste, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to responsibility and longevity. Designed in New York and crafted in Italy and NYC, each piece is meant to be lived in, collected, and cherished over time.
Within the world of Fantasia, YEON’s collection stood as a reminder that imagination does not require excess—only clarity of vision. Her work offered a moment of quiet magic on the runway, where fantasy emerged through precision, restraint, and enduring beauty.
Website:
Social Media: Instagram @yeonofficial _https://www.instagram.com/yeonofficial/
Nancy Vuu
Bay Area designer Nancy Vuu delivered a collection rooted in craftsmanship, cultural storytelling, and thoughtful construction. Her designs embodied quiet power, showcasing meticulous detailing and a refined color palette that emphasized texture and silhouette. Vuu’s work reflected a deep respect for tradition while embracing modern femininity, offering a grounded yet imaginative interpretation of Fantasia.
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Social Media: Instagram: @nancyvuu https://www.instagram.com/nancyvuu/
Haemi Lee
On the Fantasia runway, Haemi Lee presented fashion as a living art form—one that dissolves the boundary between utility and concept. Rooted in traditional tailoring, craft, and textile experimentation, her work exists at the intersection of discipline and emotion, where clothing becomes both structure and expression.
Lee approaches design as an artist, using the human body as her canvas. Her pieces invite full immersion, blurring the line between the wearer and the work itself. Each silhouette feels intentional yet fluid, encouraging movement, presence, and personal interpretation rather than rigid definition.
Deeply inspired by her personal faith, Lee’s designs challenge the constraints of normalcy. Her collection sought to deconstruct the familiar, revealing a truer, more vulnerable sense of self beneath the surface. Through layered forms, tactile materials, and considered construction, she created garments that felt introspective and transformative—quietly powerful expressions of identity and belief.
Within the dreamlike world of Fantasia, Haemi Lee’s work stood as a contemplative counterpoint: fashion not as spectacle alone, but as a deeply personal and spiritual dialogue between body, garment, and meaning.
Website:
Social Media: Instagram: @_.haemilee._ https://www.instagram.com/_.haemilee._/
Veejay Floresca
Project Runway winner Veejay Floresca delivered a standout moment on the Fantasia runway, merging couture craftsmanship with bold streetwear influences. Her collection celebrated individuality and expressive design, featuring dramatic silhouettes, rich textures, and fearless styling. Floresca’s work bridged fantasy and reality, showcasing his signature ability to create powerful, statement-making pieces that resonate both emotionally and visually.
B Chics Fashion Boutique
Bchics Fashion Boutique infused the runway with contemporary glamour and accessibility, celebrating confident, statement-driven style. The collection showcased bold silhouettes and fashion-forward looks designed to empower and inspire. With an emphasis on versatility and modern appeal, B Chics Fashion Boutique brought a vibrant, energetic dimension to the festival’s diverse runway lineup. Come visit them in 1245 San Carlos Avenue, Unit D
San Carlos, CA.
Website
Social Media: Instagram: @bchicfashions https://www.instagram.com/bchicfashions/
A Platform for Diverse Voices
True to the spirit of SF Fashion Festival, the 2025 edition reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity, representation, and artistic freedom. Emerging designers shared the runway with established creatives, showcasing a rich diversity of cultural perspectives, identities, and design philosophies.
Fantasia became a canvas for designers to explore personal narratives, heritage, sustainability, and innovation. Handcrafted details, experimental materials, and conscious design choices reflected fashion’s evolving role—not only as an aesthetic pursuit, but as a meaningful response to social and environmental responsibility.
Innovation Meets Artistry
Technology and craftsmanship walked hand in hand throughout the festival. From innovative fabric treatments to digitally influenced design processes, Fantasia highlighted how modern tools can amplify creativity rather than replace it.
Accessories, beauty, and styling played a pivotal role in completing each vision—transforming garments into fully realized characters and reinforcing the theatrical essence of the theme. Sustainability was a recurring thread, with designers redefining luxury through thoughtful construction, longevity, and intentional design.
Conversations That Shaped the Evening
Beyond the runway, SF Fashion Festival 2025 hosted three engaging panels spanning fashion, beauty & wellness, and lifestyle, offering insight into the evolving creative and business landscape.
The Fashion Panel, moderated by Tony Bravo of the San Francisco Chronicle, featured Daniel Figiber of Gap Inc. and Heidi Zak of ThirdLove, exploring sustainability, leadership, and the future of retail.
The Beauty & Wellness Panel, moderated by Cassandra McClure of Clean Living Magazine, brought together Dr. Shyamali Singhal (Hope & Beauty), Wayne Liu (Perfect Corp.), and Livi Love, blending innovation, wellness, and technology.
The Lifestyle Panel, moderated by Teresa Rodriguez of Liberté Press, highlighted tastemakers including Petra Bergstein Higby of The Caviar Co. and Bay Area artist Ali Hall, celebrating the intersection of fashion, culture, and creative living.
An Unforgettable Experience
Brand activations and pop-ups elevated the immersive experience, with partners including Hendrick’s Gin, Milagro Tequila, Attaché, Culture Pop Soda, Lucky Goldie, Clean Living Marketplace, and wine tastings from Artesa Winery of Napa Valley. VIP-exclusive moments added another layer of luxury and connection throughout the evening.
Live Art Installation by @alihall.art
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New to this year’s program was a silent auction benefiting Dress for Success, SF Fashion Festival’s nonprofit partner.
Guests bid on coveted designer items from Clare V and exclusive winery experiences from Castello di Amorosa, with proceeds directly supporting women entering the workforce.
The celebration followed Friday’s Fashion Buying & Engagement Workshop at Hotel Emblem, led by industry expert Alejandra Boland, who shared valuable insights with boutique owners, buyers, and local retail professionals on connecting with today’s consumer.
Looking Ahead
Fantasia was more than a theme—it was a statement. As SF Fashion Festival celebrated five years of impact, it reaffirmed that fashion thrives when creativity is fearless, voices are amplified, and community is centered.
Sponsored by United Airlines, Drybar Union Square, Hendrick’s Gin, Milagro Tequila, The Balvenie, Shades by Shan, Culture Pop Soda, Artesa Winery, The Caviar Co., Unica Party Rentals,TOST, Clare V, Winecare and additional partners, SF Fashion Festival 2025 marked a powerful milestone—honoring imagination, innovation, and the future of fashion in San Francisco.
San Francisco didn’t just host a fashion festival—it opened a portal to possibility.
For 2026 partnerships contact us at press@sffashionpr.com
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