Looking Back at 2025, and Setting the Table for What’s Next

December 18, 2025

I’ve been sitting with how to write about 2025, because it wasn’t just a business year for me, it was a personal one.

This was the year I went full-time in my work.
The year I moved the studio out of my home and into its own space (equal parts grounding and terrifying).
The year I launched a mending subscription I’d been quietly dreaming about, hired my first employees, rebuilt my website, and began offering healing and upcycling workshops that feel like the clearest expression of why I started Sarah Tremain in the first place.

A lot of change happened slowly, one decision at a time. And then suddenly, it added up.

There were also moments that still feel surreal to name — showing at New York Fashion Week with the SAS Project, being included in Billie Eilish’s Sustainable Fashion Guide for Philadelphia, and being named Metro Philly’s Best Women’s Fashion Store. I’m grateful for the recognition, but even more for what it affirmed: that slow, values-led fashion belongs in the world.

What mattered most to me, though, was seeing the work actually hold people.

What 2025 Looked Like in Practice

Behind the scenes, here’s what this year looked like:

72% growth from 2024
$16,147.04 in revenue
76 garments mended and kept in use
15 workshops held
2 retail stores carrying Sarah Tremain pieces

Each number represents trust — someone choosing repair over replacement, care over convenience, or showing up to learn how to work with their hands.

The People Who Held This Year With Me

This work has never been solo.

Hiring Ashley, my first employee, shifted how I imagine growth — helping me see a future that doesn’t rely on burnout.

My mom, Tremain Smith, continues to be my biggest supporter and the artist behind our prints. This year, becoming collaborators in healing sewing workshops has been one of the most meaningful evolutions of the work.

And Sydney, my production assistant, brought care and steadiness to the making itself something that matters deeply.

To everyone who trusted me with a garment, attended a workshop, shared the work, or quietly followed along: you were part of this year.

What 2025 Taught Me About Sustainable Fashion

This year clarified a few things I’m carrying forward:

Repair is powerful and often emotional
Slow fashion doesn’t mean small impact
Systems and boundaries are forms of care
Community makes the hard parts possible

Sustainability, for me, isn’t just about materials. It’s about pace, people, and longevity for garments and for the maker.

Setting the Table for 2026

As I move into 2026, I’m not interested in growth for growth’s sake. I’m interested in depth.

The focus going forward is on building what lasts creatively, financially, and communally.

In the year ahead, that looks like:

Expanding healing and upcycling workshops as a core offering
Growing mending and garment care as an accessible alternative to overconsumption
Thoughtfully increasing retail partnerships while protecting production capacity
Continuing to build a small, supported team
Developing collections shaped by community, donated materials, and collaboration, not trend cycles