Black Carpet III: Buffalo Fashion Runway Returns, this time at Shea’s
Buffalo Fashion and Community: Power and purpose come together
By Mandy Myers
(Image above: Buffalo artist and designer Emeka Wajed in a BFR promotional shot. Photo by Jean Carlos @jrios.2b on Instagram)
On Saturday (Feb. 28) Black Carpet III will make it debut at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, bringing a presence that feels bigger than a runway.
What began as a showcase of Buffalo’s designers, models and creatives has evolved into something more layered — a platform where artistry intersects with advocacy, and where celebration carries intention. Now in its third installment, the flagship show from Buffalo Fashion Runway arrives with new momentum and a powerful endorsement from one of the region’s most influential philanthropic institutions.
For the first time, the John R. Oishei Foundation is serving as the presenting sponsor — though Vice President of Community Impact Pamela Ross prefers a different term.
An Investment in Community Power
Ross joined the foundation last April after leading racial equity and grantmaking work in Indianapolis. In Buffalo, she is helping shape a framework centered on “community power building” – a model that recognizes how individual expression and collective energy reshape neighborhoods and narratives.
That lens made supporting Black Carpet III an easy decision.
“This investment was made based on the fact that, right now, this represents our top-level investment of $50,000,” Ross says.
The language matters. This is not a sponsorship, she explains. It’s an investment – one rooted in belief.
At the core of the foundation’s strategy is joy, restoration and resilience. Ross sees Buffalo Fashion Runway as a platform where all three come to life.
“It’s not only a place of creative expression, but it’s also agency – and agency really is power,” she says.
In her view, fashion is inseparable from advocacy. Art has always carried a message and meaning.
“It’s to support a platform to really showcase not only the artistry, the talent, the amazingness of these individuals, but to shine a light on how the individual power of expression shows up — and how expression also can show up as advocacy,” Ross says. “That’s okay, too, because that’s where art is. So much of art is rooted in advocacy.”
For the foundation, the Runway becomes more than a stage. It becomes infrastructure for narrative change – a space where designers and models assert identity, voice and agency. And that, Ross says, is power.
Through the Lens of a Growing Movement
If Ross speaks about power in strategy, Jean Carlos captures it in real time.
Carlos, director of photography for Buffalo Fashion Runway, has been documenting the city’s fashion scene for the past two years. He remembers attending the organization’s earliest shows and realizing something significant was forming — a room filled with creatives determined to build an industry in Buffalo.
Since then, he has helped shape the visual identity of the brand, leading a media team selected from more than 120 applicants and overseeing much of the photography audiences see in the months leading up to the show.
For Carlos, photography is ultimately about storytelling.
“I’m always looking for stories in every frame,” Carlos says. “I’m a feel guy.”
Rather than trying to capture every look that crosses the stage, he searches for moments — the energy backstage, a glance between model and designer, a composition that tells a deeper story than fabric alone.
To him, fashion is not just about clothing. It is about narrative.
That narrative, he says, has been expanding rapidly in Western New York. What was once one or two shows a year has grown into a thriving, community-driven scene. Designers collaborate. Models return. New creatives step forward. The energy builds season after season.
The growth reflects something Ross also recognizes: creative infrastructure is forming.
Beyond the Runway
Black Carpet III represents a defining moment for Buffalo Fashion Runway, bridging independent creative momentum with formal philanthropic backing.
The top-level investment from the John R. Oishei Foundation adds tangible backing to the show, reinforcing confidence in Buffalo’s fashion community as a growing cultural and economic force.
That backing does more than elevate production value. It expands visibility. It attracts new audiences. It positions local designers and creatives within a larger conversation about community development and narrative change.
For the artists, models and media teams who have built this platform show by show, the moment feels earned. What started as a creative gathering has grown into infrastructure – a space where emerging designers showcase their work and photographers sharpen their craft while Buffalo’s fashion community forges connections across neighborhoods and beyond.
On Saturday, the audience at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre will measure just how meaningful this show has become, with a production that reflects three years of steady growth and the dedication of Buffalo’s creative community. It’s a night to celebrate artistry, passion, and the people who make the city’s fashion scene shine.
To see more of Jean Carlos’ portfolio, go HERE.
RELATED MEDIA: Photos from last year’s show, Black Carpet II, taken by Jean Carlos:
Mandy Myers is a senior at SUNY Fredonia and an intern for The Buffalo Hive.
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