Review: Upcycled and refreshingly unironic, Sadya’s ‘Warning Signs’ fashion show at 237 Collective was an orange and earth-toned treat

Last Saturday, the Cedar Rapids-based 237 Collective hosted Warning Signs, the first of three fashion shows to be presented in the Cherry Building during April 2025. The show was a solo showcase of the work of Sadya, the nom d’artiste of 237 Collective co-creative director Paxton Williams. 

Models strutted down the runway, a simple outline of orange tape on the floor of 237 Collective’s studio, walled in on either side by two rows of attendees packed shoulder to shoulder in the small space. 

True to the upcycled, work-with-what-you-find ethos running through 237 Collective’s fashion endeavors, there was a wide spread of outfits and aesthetics in the audience — flared pants and fur vests next to Ren Faire-style lace-up shirts next to classic jeans and a T-shirt. They were all unified in enthusiasm, however — as models strutted past, the small studio filled with claps, snaps and stomps, an almost overwhelming wall of sound.

From a craft perspective, I was pleasantly surprised by the care and attention taken in the details of the pieces. Most of the upcycled pieces presented as inherently new garments, instead of the same garment with an applique or two. The made-from-scratch pieces were cleanly finished and well-shaped. The color palette of browns, grays and safety orange was consistent in tone through the whole show — a perennial difficulty for an artist working with found materials. Subtle variations in color added textural contrast with hand-sewn and machine-sewn patches. Utility belts, webbing and, in one case, an extension cord added a utilitarian texture.

A common theme of the looks was subversion of thrift-store staples. Ties snaked around hemlines and collars, wrapping around the shoulders of one piece in a McQueen-style harness look. Shirts twisted and draped into new configurations with machine and hand-stitched details, a fringed tapestry morphed into a helmet-like cowl.

The Middle Ages seemed to be a minor running theme throughout, echoing a broader trend in high fashion in the past few years. Mid-calf shorts had slits that made them move and flex like greaves. Some outfits sported a tabard-like streetwear-meets-Bosch-peasant silhouette, and — a personal favorite — a model wore a gray hood with two sagging points topped with red pom-poms, like a bummed-out jester’s cap.

Another recurring element was a college-shirt-style logo reading “DEPT. OF SYSTEMS OF CONTROL” that found its way onto shirts, skirts and more, usually paired with a list of TV networks in an imposing block of text. It was an appropriately direct motif for a show that wore its political heart on its sleeve (and chest, and legs, etc.). 

Spoken word poet Henry Morray set the tone of the show when he opened with a performance of his poem “Eclipse,” a piece inspired by Caitlin Clark, the April 2024 eclipse and his relationship with social media in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. It was here that the intimacy of the space shone — every quick turn of phrase or fluid transition in tone was clear and bright in the silence.

During the show, a model dressed in a brown suit and wielding an oversized microphone burst out between the looks in wordless, Network-esque skits, as he played the role of a smarmy corporate newsman broadcasting propaganda. Hand-drawn posters represented mock TV screens blaring headlines like “PROPAGANDA FOR THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.”

As the show went on, the reporter’s suit started to tear and split at the seams as he grew increasingly frantic and disillusioned. Finally, he snapped, stomped the microphone and was dragged offstage. 

There’s a refreshing earnestness and clarity to the message. It would be easy to fall into ironic, self-aware jokiness, but in a social and political era that can often feel too embarrassed to make direct statements, 237 Collective takes both itself and its art seriously. 

The Cedar Rapids art scene can sometimes seem like a second-stage act to Iowa City, but Warning Signs feels like a step towards a unique Cedar Rapids artistic identity. Punky, unsubtle and infused with a rowdy DIY ethos, it’s a great start to the show series.

There will be two more 237 Collective fashion shows this month. Impetus, on April 12, will be a group show of 13 Cedar Rapids designers with over “80 different looks” that will be showcased in the Cherry Building. The final show, Wearing Magic, is a solo show featuring the Pollockian work of Randy2Wear. It will take place at Studio 81 on April 19.

After the shows are complete, 237 Collective will offer all the looks throughout the shows in a pop-up sale.