Thrift 2 Fight
Thrift 2 Fight has been partnering with Buffalo State Runway since 2022, in direct alignment with the overarching ethos of the event, as well as the annual themes: last year’s “Pushing for Progress”, and this year’s “Provoking Protopias”. Since its start as a series of volunteer-run pop-up thrift sales in 2020, Thrift 2 Fight has been using secondhand clothing sales to fund local grassroots organizations fighting for racial, disability, and queer justice. Seeing the demand for, and abundance of secondhand clothing, coupled with the widespread desire to live, work, and (yes,) shop in alignment with one’s values, the Thrift 2 Fight team thought, “why not do this all the time everywhere?”! Their partnership with Buffalo state means that the always well-attended runway show can also harness the people power to divert clothing sourced from the local community from the landfill, provide people with affordable, quality clothes, and raise funds for local organizations. As an educational tool, this partnership also gives students the opportunity to not only connect with and support vital work happening off campus within the broader community in Buffalo, but also experience the power of fashion as a funding mechanism and tool for supporting social change.
RUNWAY X Trift 2 Fight
Please join us in supporting our Thrift 2 Fight X RUNWAY retail Pop-up at this year’s show. $5 raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the door (cash & credit cards accepted). 100% of the proceeds from the thrift sales will be donated to Feed Buffalo, the Confident Girl Mentoring Program, and the Grassroots Gardens of WNY.
Grassroots Gardens of WNY is a dedicated group of community gardeners and activists. Their mission is to share knowledge, power, and resources to grow healthy food, heal systemic harm, and strengthen neighborhood connections through community gardens. Their vision is to create a lasting network of land and people to foster healthy communities.
The Confident Girl Mentoring Program provide social-emotional mentoring services that promote health equity and improve the self-efficacy and confidence of our most vulnerable youth under the age of 30. They advance their mission through an evidence-based five-point mentoring system that raises awareness about the effects of trauma on mental health and yields youth confidence and self-esteem to cultivate a healthier society.