Luxury private island retreat, Song Saa, in Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago, is celebrating its seventh Recycled Fashion Show, turning marine debris into runway-worthy outfits.
The event challenges all departments across the resort to design and present imaginative outfits crafted entirely from reclaimed materials.
Fishing nets, plastic, cans, driftwood and other waste rescued from nearby beaches are transformed into couture-inspired creations, which are then judged by internationally acclaimed designers Romyda Keth and Eric Raisina.
Guests are invited to watch the runway show created to demonstrate that even the world’s most exclusive escapes can be a force for good.
Song Saa Founder Melita Koulmandas says each year this is a reminder that creativity is one of the most powerful tools we have in regenerating our environment.
“This fashion show isn’t just about beautiful outfits – it’s about shifting mindsets, giving tangible form to sustainability, and showing that even at a resort, innovation and conservation go hand in hand.”
Song Saa was built on the ethos of giving back. Once knee-deep in rubbish, conservation efforts led to Cambodia’s first protected marine park, thanks to Koulmandas’ efforts.
“What would have once been a thriving ecosystem had degenerated,” she says on the purchase of the island two decades ago.
“The reef system was dying from fishing boats emptying their pumps, and the island was covered in rubbish and completely cleared of trees. But a few families who worked on the fishing boats were living there, and I offered for everyone to stay and we just started picking up rubbish.
“I had no vision to build a hotel, but started cleaning up and getting to know the village chiefs on the nearby main island, and I learned that most of the overfishing was coming from Vietnam and Thailand… so it was from these discussions that we decided to co-create the country’s first marine park.”
Her efforts, in collaboration with the local chiefs, have completely transformed the marine ecosystem and islands around it, and with the help of guests to the island, that work now continues.
As well as some of the money you pay to stay here going back into the Song Saa Foundation, by snorkelling and visiting the local community and Song Saa school, it also raises awareness and funds to preserve and protect the region and its people.
The 2026 Song Saa Recycled Fashion Show will be held on Saturday 28 March.
Read our full hotel review here.
For more information, visit Song Saa.
