OHIO BUSINESS - Columbus Fashion Week displays dynamic design community
Since 2010, Columbus Fashion Week has featured top designers from the area and a headline designer, who in recent years has come from other parts of the country. This year’s finale show was headlined by Christian Cowan, a celebrity designer who has outfitted the likes of Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga, McClure says.
Featuring Columbus-area designers has helped to launch many fashion careers, including that of Gerardo Encinas, who showed two different collections this year. Encinas showed quinceañera dresses, celebrating his native Mexico, at the Tea, and men’s and women’s fashions at the Finale Runway Show.
“The platform after my first runway show was amazing. A lot of people knew about my collection and my designs…It opened a lot of doors for me and business,” says Encinas of his first year in Fashion Week in 2016.
Encinas now designs for Nina West, a Columbus-area drag performer who has appeared on the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Encinas also recently received a contract to design costumes for Opera Columbus.
“Fashion week was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says.