BUFFALO, N.Y. — Suit donations to St. Brian Clothiers will be accepted at the KeyBank Center all week. Every suit will help Buffalo Public Schools’ students dress their best at prom, for free.
It’s prom season, but founder of St. Brian Clothiers Dewitt Lee III knows this could be a financially challenging time for some kids to get the formal attire they need.
“This is a big show-off moment. This is where you want to shine your brightest, and we know not everybody has that option,” Lee said. “What we want to do is we want to prevent people from the anxiety, from the depression, from the sadness of not being your best.”
With tuxedo rentals costing up to well over $100, getting one can be tough for some kids.
Lee tells 7 News the last thing he wants to see is somebody skipping prom because they had nothing to wear.
“A lot of kids are thinking ‘Hey, I won’t be able to be my best at prom,’ and may have passed on [going to] it, but these are moments you don’t get to re-live,” Lee said.
For this prom season, Lee partnered with the Buffalo Sabres to turn the KeyBank Center’s foyer into a formal clothing store.
“We are excited about transforming this into our storefront,” Lee said. “And, getting a chance for kids to see parts of this building that they’ve never seen.”
But Lee needs help from people in the community.
All week, people can donate suits to the arena’s box office, and he’s asking for extra help with shoes, belts, and clothes sized to fit a teenager on their biggest day.
“I think it it’ll be a life-changing moment, I really do,” Lee said.
The suit giveaway will take place on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The iPROMise program gives suits to kids going to prom after they participate in a 90-minute presentation that teaches them to be aware of the dangers of making bad decisions on prom night.
Anybody looking to receive a free suit needs must register at bit.ly/ipromiseprogram [bit.ly] prior to Saturday.
No students in need will be turned away, and unlike a tux rental, every suit given away to a student is theirs to keep.
