Only in San Francisco! Goat a load of this, California non profit Value Culture presented a unique fashion show this Valentine’s Day in the heart of San Francisco. The Goat My Valentine Fashion show took place in the iconic Union Square with actual goats being walked by cultural G.O.A.T.s of the city. A huge crowd gathered and went wild as goats in custom elaborate designs good enough for the Met Gala were walked by iconic San Francisco cultural figures. The event had everyone smiling on Valentine’s day, even those still suffering over the one who goat away. Seriously, good thing there are pictures because who could make this up?
Value Culture founder Adam Swig could. The first Goat My Valentine took place in 2018 when Swig realized there weren’t very many fun all ages Valentines Day options in San Francisco, and saw it as a great opportunity to raise awareness for his friend Genevieve Church’s goat landscaping non profit City Grazing. City Grazing’s mission is sustainable land management and fire risk reduction through outreach, education, and implementation of goat grazing. 5 years in, this annual event is always the top thing mentioned by event sites and influencers to check out in San Francisco on Valentine’s Day.
“Why ‘Bee’ my Valentine, when you can Goat My Valentine, because everyone knows love is the greatest of all time!” Swig said. “I saw an opportunity to create many smiles and lots of joy on a day when not everyone has a reason to or someone to celebrate with. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle little goats on Valentine’s Day and also learn about how goats help prevent fires. Now we’ve taken it to a new level with an incredible one of a kind goat fashion show.”
This special event attracts big crowds and also stimulates the local economy in every neighborhood of the city it has taken place. With the negative news of crime and safety issues that plagued San Francisco’s Union Square during the pandemic, Swig wanted to bring City Grazing’s Goats to the rescue and help change the narrative showing the wonderful recovery of the area. Union Square welcomed the opportunity.
“We are thrilled to co-host this year’s annual Goat My Valentine event in Union Square, which serves to highlight the vibrant culture of San Francisco,” said Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of Union Square Alliance. “This event uniquely showcases the spirited sensibility and talent of our community and provides a wonderful and whimsical opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate their love in the heart of our City.”
The goat fashions were designed by Britex Fabrics. The 71 year old San Francisco small business blew all expectations away with their creative, inventive designs. The pieces all had San Francisco themes. Britex didn’t spare any expense on the fiber quality for the goats. Some of the outfits were made with fine Italian textiles, and one design even used the same fabrics and buttons used to create Chanel couture. Notable favorites were the downtown shopper goat, the bridal goat, the drag goat, and Karl the Fog goat, aptly named after San Francisco’s famous marine layer.
Taking it one step further, Swig reached out to his network of beloved San Francisco cultural icons to walk the runway with the goats. Food Network viewers saw Chopped champion and Chef Dynasty “House of Fang” celebrity chef Kathy Fang walk with a “Lunar New Year” goat. Indie Film fans were excited to see the Last Black Man of San Francisco star actor Jimmie Fails strut his stuff with a “rock n’ roll” goat. “I just walked a goat.” remarked Jimmie. “Never thought I’d do that, but I would do that again anytime. It was really fun.”
The San Francisco Fire Department, Police Department and Sheriff Department all walked with goats in matching uniforms. American illustrator and artist Jeremy Fish carried a goat matching his signature chocolate brown garb. San Francisco Anthem Rapper Big Rich designed his own goat inspired by his entertainment and fashion focused Warner Music Group backed non profit Project Level with the mission of changing lives by educating, inspiring and motivating San Francisco’s at-risk and underserved youth through the arts. “To get to walk that goat, and that the goat had my own clothing line was dope, unforgettable. We’ll never forget this moment.” said Big Rich, “Value Culture is serious and real. I wanted to thank Adam Swig for opening this up and including everyone, including San Francisco, every face, every size, every color.”
Towards the end of the show longtime local news anchor Dan Ashley who MC’d the event teased the crowd announcing no more goats. The show was over! The crowd began to chant “One more goat! One more goat!” The crowd went nuts when two more goats came out, followed by the organizers and design team for a final bow. An after party followed a block away at trendy nightclub Hawthorn SF for those 21+.
“That was incredible, I’ve never seen anything like that before. The designs were nothing like I expected and the crowds! Just wow. That was an amazing event. It was great to be out in Union Square again and the goats were adorable! ” said San Francisco resident Ciara Peter.
Nationally recognized non profit Value Culture was founded in 2019. The mission of Value Culture is to produce and support artistic, educational, charitable, and spiritual events to inspire the next generation to give back to their communities and also remove the barriers to arts, culture, and philanthropy. Want more Goat My Valentine content? Head to @ivalueculture on Instagram for BTS and video recaps. What’s next? Swig promises it won’t be a “Baaaaaaaaad time.”
Article written by Tyler Esplana
