Formalwear for less than the price of a coffee? The Kingsford-Smith School Formalwear Op Shop is back

Posted on 19 August, 2025

The countdown to formal season is on, but as Year 10, 11, and 12 students on the northside begin hunting for the perfect outfit, one local school is helping keep the cost down for their special night.

The Kingsford-Smith School’s Formal Op Shop is back for another year, and this time it’s open for all Year 10 to 12 students attending northside schools in 2025.

Launching in 2023 to help make formals more accessible and affordable for students, while also promoting sustainable shopping, the op-shop collects and sells second-hand formalwear for less than the price of a coffee – just $3 to $5 per item.

It’s no secret that shopping for a formal outfit and everything that comes with it (like the shirts, ties, shoes, bags, and hair and beauty products), is a costly experience. Add in the cost of tickets and transport, and for many families, the big event has an even bigger price tag to match.

That’s why organisers Marina Leko, a classroom teacher, and Bec Thompson, a youth worker at Kingsford-Smith School, founded the sale in 2023 to help reduce the financial stress of formal time.

“We’d heard bits and pieces of similar things happening at other schools, and sustainable fashion and op shopping are things Bec and I are both really passionate about,” says Marina.

“Our big thing is about having little cost for our students and their families, but little cost to the earth as well.”

Starting at 9.30 am on Saturday 23 August, and running until 12:30 pm in the Primary Gym at Kingsford-Smith School, for the first time, the Kingsford-Smith School’s Formal Op Shop has expanded to all northside-based students.

Only open to the school’s Year 10 cohort of around 100 students in 2023 and then expanded to Year 10 to 12 students across Belconnen in 2024, it means even more students can experience formal season without the stress. 

Selling everything they could need for the big night (including dresses, suits, shirts, ties, shoes, and bags), Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn is once again supporting the event, supplementing donations with stocks from its stores in the region. But more formal dresses, men’s suits, ties, and shoes are still on the wish list, and Marina and Bec are calling for donations from the local community.

Items can be dropped off at the school reception between 9 am and 3 pm until the afternoon of Friday 22 August, and all funds raised by the sale will be divided between The Junction Canberra and Vinnies.

Marina says that they hope the Kingsford-Smith School’s Formal Op Shop helps keep some of the glitz and glamour of the 2025 formal season alive, minus the price tag.

“Being able to provide a really affordable option can make the difference for some students and for their families, so we love being able to provide that,” says Marina.

Feature image: Left to right: Marina Leko, Ella, Nathan, Daniel, Iyaad and Bec Thompson, 2025 school captains at Kingsford Smith School.