PHILANTHROPY PHABRICS Nothing beats stepping out of your dorm, apartment, or crusty Eugene rental, flexing a fresh new look. It’s evident that the University of Oregon is notorious for having immaculately fitted students. But let me point you in the direction of UO and OSU’s next big thing: Philanthropy Phabrics.
“Redefining activism through handcraft fashion,” is Philanthropy Phabrics’s mission statement, and these young women do just that. OSU junior Sophia Cobb and UO junior Kundai Kapurura joined forces to create the grooviest second-hand and custom clothing business. When faced with a pandemic, raging wildfires, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, these two lovely ladies couldn’t help but want to get involved. “Our main goal is to make sure that we’re using creativity, philanthropy, and sustainability in our work,” Cobb said. These three pillars may uphold the Philanthropy Phabrics business. However, the real power comes from Cobb and Kapurura’s collaboration. The two were inspired to act upon creating a business when Oregon was facing extreme wildfires this past summer. In the same light, the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining popularity from coast to coast. The majority of the philanthropies Philanthropy Phabrics has donated to are local, allowing Cobb and Kupurura to witness their impact. Cobb and Kurpurua do it all: from painting old pairs of jeans to alterations, to completely upcycling garments. A portion of the profit made goes to local philanthropies. “So far, we have donated to organizations such as PDX Black Youth Movement, the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, Foodshare, and now we are working on Causa, an organization that helps Latinx immigrants,” Kupurura said.
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Amidst the pandemic and quarantine, Cobb and Kupurura were able to hone in on Philanthropy Phabrics. “It was so much easier in isolation to start thinking of my