We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Scott Papiernik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Julia Scott, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
You know what they say, “big risk, big gain.” That never felt more real, until now. In January 2022, fig™ Buffalo was formed. At the time, I did not realize the gravity of the risk or the massive undertaking we were about to embark on for this platform. The fig™ Buffalo platform is composed of four risk takers, Julia Scott Papiernik, Newell Nussbaumer, Sarah Bohn, and Jim Kupczyk. We pioneered the uncharted waters of the fashion realm in Buffalo, NY. We decided early on to go big or go home. Our production was going to be top notch, sponsors high level, and showcase exclusively cut and sew designers from Buffalo and/or producing in Buffalo. Our platform tapped into the zeitgeist of Buffalo fashion designers. At fig™, we are dedicated to empowering and celebrating local cut & sew designers and creators in Buffalo’s burgeoning fashion industry. Through our platform, we provide a space for the community to engage, connect, and celebrate self-expression. The fig™ Buffalo platform is not just a fashion show; it is an all-encompassing experience that fosters creativity, inclusivity, and the vibrant spirit of our local fashion community.
The Buffalo fashion industry has never been formally addressed or recognized at a large scale until recently. Year one, fig™ Buffalo featured 9 cut and sew designers (Richie Hunter Customs, Anna Dusza, Swym, Made By Anatomy, ARW, Dame Ave, Scott Free, By A Guy, Sasmita Batik), plus one look from a local designer, Atelier Piras. Since then, we have grown to 14 cut and sew designers in 2024 (Anna Dusza, Extraordinary Affects, By A Guy, 109 Goundry, Dame Ave, Kylie Priscilla, Landon Moreis, As.Infinite.As, Mabdez Media, Rashaad Holley a.k.a. The Ruth L. Holley Design Studio, Plain Only Clothing, Richie Hunter Customs), plus the one look from a local design collective, Buffalo Fashion House. The fig™ Buffalo platform expanded the show from 45 models to 105 models in two years. In order to achieve that growth, we cultivate and collaborate with the creative community and the art enthusiasts who make the production possible. Evans Bank became the presenting sponsor from day one with Sandhill Investment Management’s support in year two. As a team, we brought together the Buffalo community along with unaffiliated industries who support the creative community.
The name of the show, fig™ Buffalo derives from the fig leaf, being the first “article” of clothing. We actually did not come up with the acronym, “Fashion’s Initial Garment” until much later. Which came about from a think tank session one night over a bottle of wine with my brother, Adler C. Papiernik, who is a mastermind in quirky ideas, visual concepts and marketing.
No one knows this, until now, but we almost launched the fig™ Buffalo platform in the Fall of 2022. A few months before our target show date we decided to postpone before we launched ticket sales. We decided to wait another 365 days to perfect the platform, build a standout website, source more collaborators, fine tune the production, and bring in the key sponsors to make the show ultra successful. Although it was a sad decision to delay an entire year, it was the best decision we could have made for the fig™ Buffalo platform to respectively and wholly showcase the talent in Buffalo. We chose a completely different venue in that time span as well and thank God. We debuted at Seneca One, Buffalo’s premiere skyscraper which is now a major tech and creative hub downtown thanks to Douglas Development Corporation’s innovative vision. During that gap year, we made more connections, gained more support from the community, spread the mission further, and cultivated a foundation for a first triumphant show.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My roots are in Buffalo, NY. I was born here and left to live in New York City, Florence, Poughkeepsie to pursue my Fashion Design and Art History degrees. I’ve traveled a lot of Europe and the States, but nothing has ever felt more like home than Buffalo, NY. Ever since I moved back to Buffalo in my early 20s, I always felt like I was searching, manifesting and holding on to this dream. I have been working in corporate, professional office settings, but I always knew that was never me, and I was waiting for my time to fulfill my passion at the right moment. Co-founding fig™ Buffalo is such a huge accomplishment personally and historically for Buffalo’s future. Seeing the platform come to life after so much time and hard work is the true reward and motivation to maintain/expand the platform. There is an open canvas for fashion designers and creatives to make a big a splash in Buffalo because the city is not oversaturated like major cities such as New York or LA. The endless opportunities here are what excite me the most because it makes me fight harder to be an advocate for the community, support my peers, and to invest in Buffalo, NY.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
To become the Anna Wintour of Buffalo Fashion.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The Buffalo fashion community needs sponsor support and investors to be open to new ideas. This upcoming wave of designers are bringing so much energy and fearless fashion to the city. I hope Buffalonians can continue to be forward thinking and open to new ideas that the artists are conveying through their work. Buffalo is due for a fashion district filled with collaborative studio spaces, fabric suppliers, production houses and supply shops.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://figbuffalo.com
- Instagram: @figbuffalo
- Facebook: fig™ Buffalo
- Linkedin: fig™ Buffalo
Image Credits
Portrait by Blanc Photographie
@blanc_photographie (Instagram)
Runway Photos by: Rick Warne Photography
@rickwarnephotography (Instagram)