“Disruption” Debrief - Buffalo Fashion Weeks’ 2025 showcase.
Buffalo Fashion Week held its 2025 fashion show “Disruption: the fashion show that knows no bounds” this month on May 3rd. Set with the industrial background of the 612 Northland Avenue venue, the organization was ready to immerse the community in its theme of disruptive street wear. During the show, M.U.V. had the opportunity to interview some of its organizers, designers, and models to give you a peek into the action.
Guests settle into their seats before the start of the show.
As per their website’s statement “Buffalo Fashion Week was revitalized in 2023 under the visionary leadership of Everything Wunders LLC. With a mission to amplify the arts and foster creativity, BFW has become the cornerstone of Western New York’s burgeoning fashion scene. We are committed to creating innovative, high-profile events that showcase local talent, connect communities, and redefine Buffalo as a cultural hub.” Below we share some insights from members of Buffalo Fashion Week’s team who put the show together.
Mekhi Edwards - Marketing Manager for Buffalo Fashion Week
Now that the show is over, what was the most exciting part preparing for it for you?
“I think the sporatic-ness of the photoshoots we did. I really like how we did a lot of disruptive streetwear shoots. And the Ambassador program that we did this year, I loved doing it”.
Can you speak a little bit more on this year’s ambassador program?
“We wanted some socialites that are in the community but may not be associated with the fashion community but still know how to put it on. Since this is an urban-esque show so we definitely wanted to shed lights on those type of people and have them come support us and have us supporting them”.
How did your group work to connect more people outside of the fashion community to bring them in for this show?
“Honestly it was a lot of personal connections. If we knew them, we knew they had clothes, and we knew that they knew how to dress, we scouted them, texted them, and said, ‘Hey we need you’”.
How do you connect BFW’s work and empowering people of underrepresented voices in BFW’s production?
“That is the norm here. When we first started we loved highlighting new models, experienced models, plus size models, models of any race, ethnicity, and religion. So that’s just built into the culture here and that going to stay the same. We are just going to build upon it in other facets”.
With the growth of sponsors and recognition of Buffalo Fashion Week, what has been one of the challenges BFW has faced?
“I think the biggest challenge is us being young since the majority of the team is in our early twenties a lot of people don’t think that we are serious about what we do, especially with the big productions that we put on. So basically having to prove ourselves to people who don’t know and to get into those rooms and push through those doors to let people know that we really do this”.
What are you most looking forward to for the upcoming year?
“I am excited to keep growing. I am ready to turn it up a notch. I think we definitely came far within a year. Like Khalil said, we had no sponsors last year. So going from none to fifteen is big. I am ready to be more involved in the community. Uplift it other ways. This was a good step having the art competition … we are just trying to expand, grow in fashion but also touch the others areas that isn’t necessarily fashion but … in the creativeness of buffalo".
When you think of '“Disruption” what comes to mind?
Stepping outside of the norm and being authentically yourself. Feeling your most confident self no matter how that translates. Whether it's something more calm or something more loud that’s what disruption is, stepping outside of that norm”.
Lastly, what are three words that come to mind when you think of this show? The best show.
Highlighting creativity in Buffalo, Buffalo Fashion Week collaborated with Buffalo Public Schools. The event showcased student’s artwork from grades 5th - 12th grade, with attendees having the opportunity to vote on their favorite.
A snapshot of some pieces on display in the student art gallery at the event. Center is “Pretty Princesses” by Alison (Ali) White, a student from Buffalo Commons Charter School.
We spoke with Bien Angelo Malijan, Buffalo Fashion Week’s Branding Lead, about the creation of this year’s theme, “Disruption”.
“We knew that we wanted to do streetwear, and really now we were just trying to find a name…We had a couple of choices but we ended up with disruption, because Khalil, our executive director, at every marketing meeting would ask, ‘How can we be disruptive?’, ‘How can the marketing be disruptive?’ ‘How can we put the message across that fashion is not only for big cities, it is also for Western New York?’”
He continues, “The meaning behind disruption is really about breaking the norms. Same thing with streetwear, you know… instead of the high fashion people setting the trends, now it is the consumers. So I feel like that was the connection that made disruption so perfect. It is all about breaking the fashion norms”.
“Fashion is not only for big cities, it is also for Western New York”
Looking at the set design itself, we got to speak to Neek, who wears multiple hats in the organization including model development and set design.
When asked what disruption meant to him, he stated, “Our inner city urban life is disruptive within itself but we are just so adapted to it that we overlook it. So what I tried to do with the set design was try to make it look buffalo as much as we can. That mural (CAN’T KEEP BUFFALO FASHION WEEK A SECRET) is like the best thing, but we try to bring the outside here. We are Buffalo Fashion Week and if there is anything I want to embrace, it's Buffalo.
We caught up with Buffalo Fashion Week’s Hospitality Coordinator, Brooke Laury, to discuss the intention behind the guest experience.
“[Being Hospitality Coordinator] means elevating the guest experience…Everybody deserves that extra spotlight and notoriety and it really makes me feel special to give that to them”. - Brooke Cartier
Along with the student art gallery, the event had multiple areas for guests to take their photos including a photo spot hosted by @buffalolovebus that produced photo strips automatically.
Lastly, Arnez Jordan, Buffalo Fashion Week’s Planning & Events Manager share his definition of Disruption with us, “When I think of Disruption I think it is just being a force to be reckoned with, standing out… and making a difference”.
With their latest show Buffalo Fashion Week’s team has done just that. Standing out through their marketing, making a difference by promoting the young artists, and proving that they are a force to reckoned with.
Check out their instagram to stay up to date on what is next: @buffalofashionweek.
Organizers and contributors of BFW’s “Disruption” show pose for the photo booth with @buffalolovebus.
Featured in the article includes:
Mekhi Edwards - @mekhi.edwards
Bien Angelo Malijan - @geloreyez
Brooke Laury- @cartier_br0oke
Neek - @wholelotofneek
Arnez Jordan - @arnez5103
