by NRF Media | Apr 12, 2026
Join contemporary fashion designer Jill Palese on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fashioning Resiliency: Doris Duke’s Legacy of Conservation. Learn about the process of merging design, invention, and activism to create work that exposes the hidden costs of clothing and invites audiences to imagine a more sustainable future.
Know before you go: While most of this tour is accessible by wheelchair, this tour includes spaces that are not currently wheelchair accessible.
Tickets are limited! Reserve yours here
Presented as part of Keeping History Above Water 10th Anniversary celebrations. Learn more here
About Telling Stories: Guided Tours:
Telling Stories: Guided Tours at NRF goes deeper into the legacy of Doris Duke through the exploration of her life—including how her work preserving, restoring, and sharing Newport’s cultural heritage impacts us today. Each tour takes a closer look at the people behind the places and collections we care for.
by NRF Media | Apr 12, 2026
Step inside Doris Duke’s closets on this guided tour that explores the legacy of Doris Duke’s through the collection of 2,000+ items she left in her closets and our caretaking of this unique collection to preserve it for the future.
This tour will also include collection storage and Fashioning Resiliency, on view in the Doris Duke Fashion Gallery.
Know before you go: While most of this tour is accessible by wheelchair, this tour includes spaces that are not currently wheelchair accessible.
Tickets are limited! Reserve yours here
Presented as part of Keeping History Above Water 10th Anniversary celebrations. Learn more here
About Telling Stories: Guided Tours:
Telling Stories: Guided Tours at NRF goes deeper into the legacy of Doris Duke through the exploration of her life—including how her work preserving, restoring, and sharing Newport’s cultural heritage impacts us today. Each tour takes a closer look at the people behind the places and collections we care for.
by NRF Media | Apr 12, 2026
Step inside Doris Duke’s closets on this guided tour that explores the legacy of Doris Duke’s through the collection of 2,000+ items she left in her closets and our caretaking of this unique collection to preserve it for the future.
This tour will also include collection storage and Fashioning Resiliency, on view in the Doris Duke Fashion Gallery.
Know before you go: While most of this tour is accessible by wheelchair, this tour includes spaces that are not currently wheelchair accessible.
Tickets are limited! Reserve yours here
Also available July 23rd and September 17th (with fashion designer Jill Palese)
Presented as part of Keeping History Above Water 10th Anniversary celebrations. Learn more here
About Telling Stories: Guided Tours:
Telling Stories: Guided Tours at NRF goes deeper into the legacy of Doris Duke through the exploration of her life—including how her work preserving, restoring, and sharing Newport’s cultural heritage impacts us today. Each tour takes a closer look at the people behind the places and collections we care for.
by NRF Media | Mar 29, 2026
How do design, innovation, and activism intersect to create fashion that invites us to imagine a more sustainable future? Join us for a panel discussion surrounding sustainability in the fashion industry. We’ll hear from the scientists and artist behind a contemporary piece of swimwear inspired by Doris Duke and currently on view in the Doris Duke Fashion Gallery.
Includes the opportunity to visit Fashioning Resiliency: Doris Duke’s Legacy of Conservation before the discussion.
Meet the panelists:
Lina Gonzalez, CEO and Founder of SpadXTech. Dr. González’s academic and professional journey spans the sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology) and applied disciplines such as mechanical and biological engineering. She has conducted extensive research on genetically engineering various microbes, including soil bacteria, and has hands-on expertise in automation and custom instrumentation development. Before launching SpadXTech, she was an educator who integrated real-world engineering and entrepreneurial experiences into her teaching.Under Dr. González’s leadership, SpadXTech has been part of influential programs such as the ACCEL inaugural program at Greentown Labs, the 2023 DOE IMPEL cohort, Venture For ClimateTech, and the Founders School. The company was an Eddies finalist in the Cleantech category through the Massachusetts Innovation Network, a participant in the TIE ScaleUp accelerator, and a top-five finalist in the MFN Sustainability Challenge. She also was awarded the MFN Sustainability Challenge.
Max Rutman, a Boston-based polymer chemist and visual artist. His scientific and creative practices are unified by resourceful use of materials and sustainability by design. At Return to Vendor, Max is working to supersede the blended constructions that make most textiles unrecyclable. As a senior scientist at RTV, he invents technologies that modify reclaimed nylon plastic to create mono-material products for fashion, furniture, and aerospace applications, realizing circular design with fully-recyclable items made from already-recycled materials. Return to Vendor is pleased to offer materials and inspiration to fashion designer Jill Palese; influenced by by Doris Duke’s philanthropic interest in marine ecology and sustainable fashion, Jill’s work exemplifies RTV’s vision of circular, functional fashion design.
Jill Palese, fashion designer and founder of Call To Action® Clothing. Jill is a 25-year veteran of the fashion industry, having served as head swimwear designer for leading national and international brands. After decades inside the apparel industry, she witnessed firsthand the environmental costs of fast fashion and resolved to redirect her career toward sustainable innovation. She uses a unique blend of eco-smart design, invention, and cross-disciplinary collaboration with scientists and artists who share a commitment to addressing climate change Call To Action has been featured at Miami Swim Week and in science-driven collaborations, including garments made from bioengineered leather with SpadXtech Labs, exhibitions at Greentown Labs, and Climatech Summits. Some of her current work transforms reclaimed and bioengineered materials into performance and gallery pieces. Recent projects include Seeing the Plastic Ocean, presented during Boston’s Climate Week 2024, where she designed six marine-inspired costumes from discarded plastics; Falling Leaves, a ballet with costumes made of bioengineered leather; and a custom sustainable jacket for artist Yu-Wen Wu, worn during her residency at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Her work has also been presented through lectures and panels, including MIT’s Cambridge Science Festival. Jill believes that fashion is a medium for storytelling, a means of creating positive change.
About Fashioning Resiliency: Featuring Jill Palese, contemporary fashion designer, this exhibition looks at the materials, textiles, and designers in Doris Duke’s wardrobe alongside contemporary interpretations of more eco-friendly fashion. From pollution to plastics to creative and innovative ways to improve clothing, Fashioning Sustainability: Doris Duke’s Legacy of Conservation places fashion front-and-center in the conversation about climate change, sustainability, and how we can move forward towards a more resilient future.
This event is part of our year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of Keeping History Above Water, which advocates for resiliency in the wake of climate change. Learn more here.
Featuring the work of
