House of Bartholomew showcases luxe streetwear Fashion at Upcycle Fashion Week by Sizzle Arts During NYFW 2025
House of Bartholomew Elevates Sustainable Fashion at Upcycle Fashion Week by Sizzle Arts During NYFW 2025
At the intersection of architectural precision and streetwear innovation, House of Bartholomew took center stage at Upcycle Fashion Week by Sizzle Arts, held during New York Fashion Week 2025. Known for his distinct blend of premium craftsmanship and cultural storytelling, Winston Bartholomew Holder III—founder of House of Bartholomew—delivered a collection that boldly celebrated sustainability, individuality, and high fashion with meaning.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Holder’s journey to fashion was anything but conventional. After earning a full scholarship to Howard University, he graduated with a degree in architecture in 2003. But the constraints of cubicle life quickly clashed with his creative ambitions. Inspired by multi-disciplinary visionaries like Tom Ford, Zaha Hadid, and Virgil Abloh—who also transitioned from architecture to design—Holder decided to chart a new path. Teaching himself to sew, draw patterns, and build a brand from scratch, he launched House of Bartholomew, now a formidable name in fashion with over 20 years of industry experience.
His brand has dressed icons such as Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, Fivio Foreign, and 50 Cent. Most notably, Holder claimed victory on HBO Max’s The Hype Season 2, earning national acclaim for his bold vision and meticulous design execution.
At this year’s Upcycle Fashion Week, House of Bartholomew’s collection stunned the crowd with reinvented streetwear silhouettes constructed from repurposed textiles, embodying the brand’s commitment to excellence and sustainability. Each look retained House of Bartholomew’s signature attention to detail—crafted with intention, layered with meaning, and adorned with the symbolic 24K gold bee, which represents the value the wearer invests in themselves and the brand.
Holder participated in the Upcycled Collective Program by Sizzle Arts, a core initiative that brings together designers to reimagine waste into high art. As part of the program, each designer donates a one-of-a-kind upcycled garment that is featured on the runway and preserved as part of Sizzle Arts’ growing sustainable archive.
Sizzle Arts Foundation, the nonprofit engine behind the event, is emerging as a leader in sustainable arts advocacy and creative empowerment. Through programs like Upcycle Fashion Week and the Upcycled Collective, the Foundation provides visibility, mentorship, and community-based opportunities to underrepresented designers and artists, particularly those from BIPOC, and low-income backgrounds.
This powerful intersection of fashion, sustainability, and cultural empowerment makes Sizzle Arts a compelling candidate for grant funding. The Foundation’s mission directly supports climate change awareness, waste reduction, and economic empowerment through the arts—all priority areas for local, national, and private grantmakers. With platforms like House of Bartholomew taking part, the Foundation continues to amplify creatives who are changing fashion—and the world—one stitch at a time.
In an industry that often sacrifices quality for quantity, House of Bartholomew stands tall in its mission: to provide a premium product that retains its value—even when life gets messy. At Upcycle Fashion Week 2025, that message resonated loud and clear.
