‘Runway Warriors’ Brings Light To Domestic Violence Through Fashion

A philanthropic effort to end domestic violence

This year, we decided to follow up on Alpha Chi Omega’s annual fall philanthropy event ‘Runway Warriors.’ Deputy Editor Mason Amelotte reports once more on the fashion show.

This Friday, Alpha Chi Omega held their annual fall philanthropy event—a fashion show and raffle to end domestic violence—called Runway Warriors. The Theta Psi chapter of the sorority partnered with Day One, an organization leading the movement to combat intimate partner violence among youth, as well as with My Sisters’ Place, which provides resources in the field of domestic violence advocacy in White Plains, NY.

In a sit-down interview with the Vice President of Philanthropy, Hannah Smolar, BC ’16, describes the decision behind using the term warrior for this event: “Runway Warriors takes the concept of what it means to be a warrior, someone who’s strong, resilient, perseverant, and blends that with how we like to think of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.” Because of both the taboo and omnipresent nature of domestic violence, particularly on college campuses, President of the sorority Kristin Austin, CC ’16, believes the show itself “not only raises money for [their] beneficiaries, but also really brings light to the issue on our campus.”

This year’s event took place in Roone Arledge Auditorium, an upgrade from last year’s overcrowded, awkwardly-arranged Lerner Party Space. With over four hundred chairs laid out in two forward-facing central columns, two inward-facing columns on the perimeter, and a large forward-facing group in the back, the figure-8 layout reflected the importance of form following function, a noteworthy design move by director, Austen Tosone, BC ’16. Though Tosone also served as artistic director last year, this year’s fashion show was on the same caliber as that of a professional event, highlighting the importance of the physical space in collaboration with Tosone’s artistic proficiency.

The larger amount of space provided by the venue seemed to parallel key differences in the sponsorship of this year’s show. For instance, the first 100 guests in attendance received Runway Warriors canvas totes, three Moroccanoil full-sized products, Insomnia cookies, boxes of Pocky, and discount advertisements for online clothing sites, an estimated $100 value. Similarly, the prizes in the raffle (which was valued to be worth between $15,000 and $20,000 total) included two lower-level concert tickets to the Weeknd, a Dior makeup gift set estimated at $400, and a private tour of the Natural History Museum for two.

Twenty-six models took to the stage in outfits by designers and brands such as Daniel Silverstein, Hutch, Jag & Co., Jessica Chen, Marilyn Monroe Eyewear, S. Rothschild, and Stella & Dot. One notable difference from last year’s show is that this year, five of the models who walked were men. Additionally, two of the women who identify as masculine of center were outfitted in masculine clothing. One person in attendance described the show as “Gatsby-esque,” while another described it as “1930’s in muted, dark shades.” The feminine outfits were some variation of a bodycon dress, (sun)glasses, and chunky heels, while the masculine outfits included dress shorts, argyle knee-highs, suspenders, bow ties, and newsboy caps.

While the event did show off some of the unique designs, the show as a whole instead tended to focus on the models themselves, who, when not walking down the runway, formed various poses on stage in accordance with one another. The music used throughout the night—a collection of poppy, modern house tunes—was appropriate for the occasion. However, it was one song in particular towards the end of the show that culminated perhaps the most important moment of the night: eight models took to the stage to pose before breaking off into pairs and strutting down the runway, arm-in-arm, to Major Lazer’s lyrics “all we need is somebody to lean on,” all the while maintaining facial composure, physical balance, and pace.

The show’s shortcomings that are worthy of mention, though few in number, were purely aesthetic-related. The stage, which provided an elevated platform for audience members to view the outfits, also forced models to walk down eight broad wooden steps onto the floor of Lerner in order to get to the actual runway, oftentimes as another model simultaneously walked up the four foot-wide steps. While this caused pacing issues on multiple occasions, the models took it in stride and managed to re-establish their paces afterwards.

As a whole, this year’s Runway Warriors event was nothing short of impressively cohesive. It should go without saying that the large-scale collaborative efforts of all the members of Alpha Chi Omega and the sponsors who generously donated their time and resources were admirable; however, it seems that it was the meticulous planning by Smolar and Tosone, as well as Assistant VP of Philanthropy Paige Robbins, BC ’17, Logistics Director Gabbie Lipson, BC ’18, and Assistant Artistic Director Inga Norell, BC ’18, and the presidential oversight from Austin that ultimately led to a successfully well-executed and meaningful show.