Fashion Finds Fund An Education Charity

Amanda Munz sells discount designer samples online and from a showroom on Route 110 in Farmingdale to raise funds for an educational foundation.

By Sophia Ricco
sricco@longislandergroup.com

The Fashion Foundation is a non-profit organization providing children in need with materials to succeed, and making designer samples available for a discounted price.

Founder Amanda Munz is a grad of the Western Suffolk BOCES fashion program and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where the Lindenhurst native witnessed the wasteful side of fashion.

“I was constantly seeing this trend of designers having samples piling up in their showrooms and warehouses, but no one knew what to do with them,” Munz said. “A lot of them were ending up in the garbage.”

Samples are created by designers working to perfect a piece before thousands of copies are made for stores. Often, many variations of a design or an entire design don’t make the cut. Munz felt these extra copies needed to be put to better use so she founded The Fashion Foundation four years ago.

Fashion Institute of Technology grad Amanda Munz rescues samples and overstock from top fashion houses to benefit students throughout the metro New York area.

 “From the moment I brainstormed this idea, I never thought, ‘I want to do this for fun as a hobby,’” Munz said. “This was going to be my passion, and I wanted to make this a huge organization.”

The Fashion Foundation receives hundreds of donated samples from designers, which are resold online and in the showroom.

“We have pieces from companies who just made this one sample and it’s the only sample they ever made,” Munz said. “Our customer gets that one of a kind piece.”

Every clothing purchase makes an impact on schools that lack funds for basic supplies.

“Our money goes a really long way, because we’re getting them simple things, a $20 donation can fund an entire backpack full of school supplies for a kid,” Munz said.

The Fashion Foundation coordinates with teachers to find out what their students lack, delivering the supplies directly to teachers in Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem, the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island.

“When I go into a school and I hand a kid a backpack or school supplies and I see them smile, that keeps me moving forward,” Munz said.

Following the holiday season, the non-profit will have supported over 6,500 students. At their Holiday Party, guests filled 500 backpacks with supplies, holiday gifts, and a personal note.

“People are doing their holiday purchases with us, they’re shopping across the world,” Munz said. “Our holiday season is shaping up to be one of our biggest ones yet.”

The Fashion Foundation’s showroom in Farmingdale has racks and shelves full of clothing items that are all brand new and cannot be found on their website.

“Once they come to our showroom, most people come back,” Munz said. “It’s kind of a hidden treasure on Long Island that not many people know about.”

A constant flow of samples arrive every season from designers, giving the charity constant new additions.

“I’ve heard from my customers, that they actually respect these brands more because they are supporting our mission with their samples,” Munz said. “It’s a win for designers because when they donate they get a tax-write off and clean out their warehouses. It’s a win for customers because it’s super affordable. And it’s a win because everything is going back to local kids.”

Note: This article has been edited from its original version. Munz attended Western Suffolk BOCES.