“It is the people of Columbus that will make it possible for Columbus to be the next New York City.” – David Tupaz, Fashion Designer.
These were some of the last words spoken into the microphone during Fashion Week Columbus’ Finale Show this past Saturday. David Tupaz, one of the two headline designers in the show, spoke about the city needing to come together to support each other and the talent that the heart of Ohio holds in order to reach it’s potential, and this is exactly what everybody could see happening before their eyes during this show.
Columbus is ranked third in the nation for fashion design and it was made obvious why after this year’s Fashion Week. The Finale Show was held in the Columbus Athenaeum in a beautiful theatre-like room with detailed balconies and wonderful lighting. There were two headliners, David Tupaz and Stevie Boi. The seven local designers who also got to contribute their amazing designs included Genoveva Christoff, Joan Madison, Kelley Plas, Kevin Black, Lubna Najjar, Stephanie Foster and Tamara Holder. Each designer gave something distinctly different, refreshing, and unique to who they are. A short clip was shown for each designer of what inspires them and the things that brought them to make their current line. Their inspirations ranged anywhere from people watching to art and culture. The show created the perfect combination of originality, passion, and creative minds.
As the night was coming to an end, runway show host Angela An spoke the words that everybody in the room was now thinking when she said, “We need to show what the world is missing when they don’t come to Columbus.”
Now in its sixth year, Fashion Week Columbus is growing rapidly and it is clear that the people who have worked hard to make it all happen are not going to stop until Columbus has reached its full potential in the fashion world. Founder Thomas McClure has surely started a wave that everybody wants to catch a ride on. The event is also operated by a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to fashion design students. If you missed it this year, make sure that you don’t forget to order your tickets for Fashion Week Columbus 2016.
For more information, visit www.fashionweekcolumbus.org.
All photos by Anna Maconachy.