Runway Warriors coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month!

Bwog always loves a good fashion show (and hates domestic violence), so we decided to send our Arts Editor and Bwogger Lexie Lehman to Alpha Chi Omega’s annual fall philanthropy event ‘Runway Warriors,’ a fashion show benefiting anti-domestic violence organizations.

This past Saturday, Alpha Chi Omega sorority hosted their annual fall philanthropy event, ‘Runway Warriors 2016: Storm.’ Going into its third year, Runway Warriors is a fashion show and raffle intended to raise money to support organizations in an effort to end domestic violence. This year, Alpha Chi Omega partnered with two organizations —the Joyful Heart Foundation and the New York Asian Women’s Center— which both address domestic violence by providing services to women and children who have suffered domestic sexual assault and/or abuse.

When asked to speak on the impact that Alpha Chi Omega hopes Runway Warriors will have on the Columbia community, Vice President of Philanthropy Inga Norell (BC ’18) said “With Runway Warriors, we hope to educate the Columbia community on what we can do to stop domestic violence. All too often, people view this topic as taboo or too sensitive to talk about. . . Runway Warriors is more than a fashion show: it’s an event to empower those who have experienced the strife of domestic violence and create a culture both willing and able to recognize and prevent domestic violence.”

After the success of last year’s Runway Warriors show, it was difficult to imagine any way for the event to grow to be any more polished or successful. However, Norell commented that in order to improve the event this year, the philanthropy committee “worked to create a more professional and larger reaching event. [The committee] developed partnerships with more sponsors and higher end brands, and we’ve increased the number of models walking in the show.” These partnerships and sponsorships translated into $24,000+ worth of donated goods, split between the raffle prizes and ‘gift bags’ for the first 100 people in the door. Big ticket raffle prizes included a private behind-the-scenes tour of the Natural History Museum, $500+ worth of Dior makeup, $150 of Givenchy makeup, and various other gift cards, while each gift bag included $100+ worth of Moroccanoil products, designer jewelry pieces, and other small items.

Like last year’s Runway Warriors event, this year’s show also took place in Roone Arledge Auditorium. Artistic Director Hannah Yoo (BC’19) managed to improve upon last year’s design of the runway, organizing 400+ chairs around a U-shaped path through the audience that served as the runway for the models. This design put the spotlight on the models and their walks, creating seamless transitions from each model to the next, while enabling every audience member to have a direct view of the U-shaped runway through the audience.

In total, thirty-five models walked the runway, wearing designs by Fashion Institute of Technology students designers Hangya Shang and Yun Qu as well as brands such as TOBI, Yola Colón, and Milané Noir. Drawing from last year’s show, a few of the models who walked were men; however, two transfemme models also walked during the second scene of the show.

This year’s Runway Warriors was broken up into three different ‘scenes,’ each attempting to capture a feeling and mood through sharp distinctions in the designs, walks, and ambiance of each scene. The first scene opened to a soundtrack of somewhat aggressive violin music blended with storm sounds, paralleling the fashion to come. The scene’s fashion focused on highlighting the power of the models’ walks, featuring mostly low-cut jumpsuits and rompers, black bodycon dresses, a variety of black leather pants and jackets, and dark fur coats. The transition to the second scene was marked by a slight change in the fashion; the dresses were still black, but shorter with higher necklines and looser fits, and the black fur and leather coats and jackets from the first scene were exchanged for a white fur vest on one model and a pleated leather skirt on another. Where the first scene showcased power through fashion, the second scene found a softer side within very similar fashion pieces. The transition from ‘powerful and dark’ fashion to something gentler and softer continued with the third and final scene, which featured a variety of off-white and tan shift and wrap dresses as well as a few more colorful skirt and top/blouse combinations. In this scene, all the models walked barefoot, and most, if not all, were wearing very light body glitter, giving the scene a tranquil essence.

This progression in the mood of the show could easily be attributed to the change in the fashion designers in each scene, but the transition from dark to light, aggressive and serious to peaceful and soft, goes deeper than just surface level fashion. As Artistic Director Hannah Yoo stated, “Runway Warriors uses fashion as a medium to acknowledge the conflict and struggle behind domestic violence while encouraging and celebrating those who weather the storm. To me, a warrior is someone who experiences a storm and not only survives, but is strong for it.” Runway Warriors sought to portray that journey towards healing and peace that domestic violence survivors must all take; through nothing more than the fashion and their walks, the models were able to show us what it means to weather a storm and find that peace.

As a whole, this year’s Runway Warriors raises the bar compared to Alpha Chi Omega’s previous shows. The execution of the show was nothing less than spectacular, and it is clear that efforts of Norell and Yoo, as well as those of Assistant VP of Philanthropy Gabbie Lipson (BC ’18), paid off in full. In their own right, the models themselves were truly remarkable in their collective poise, grace, and form, and as a result of this collaborative effort, I can say without equivocation that Runway Warriors 2016 was an outstanding success, both for fashion and for the effort to end domestic violence.

Photos courtesy of a Bwog staffer, or via AXO’s Facebook