Columbus is rapidly emerging as a major fashion hub in the country, largely due to the work done by Fashion Week Columbus (FWC), a nonprofit premier fashion event that features up-and-coming and established designers, giving them a platform to showcase their creativity.
This year’s fashion week, which marked the 15th anniversary of FWC, kicked off at 4 p.m. Sunday with the annual High Fashion Tea runway show, hosted at Columbus’ Hotel Le Méridien The Joseph. The event included light refreshments from Posh Teatime Co., The Guild House and Sistar’s Sweets, along with unique designs from four designers — Amber Hall, Jasmine Burton, Candace Walker and Akili Cooper — who each created between 10-14 designs under this year’s FWC theme “Fashion Forward.”
Hall — owner and designer of Amber Nicole Customs — was the first designer to premiere on the runway, showcasing a classy evening wear collection.
The Columbus native said she is self-taught, beginning her designing journey 15 years ago. As Hall has continued to grow in the fashion industry, she said her family’s influence has encouraged her passion to advocate for the representation of plus-sized models on the runway.
The first of Hall’s designs to hit the runway was a long royal blue satin dress with jewels attached under the bodice. The rest of the collection featured multiple shades of blues and satins, ranging from long formal dresses to shorter fun dresses.
The second designer to take to the runway was Jasmine Burton, a Columbus native and the owner of Alexandria Jay, who said she’s been sewing since she was just 13 years old.
Burton said she aims to embody elegance and class in her designs, mixing various materials including satin and faux fur and patterns including leopard print and plaid while also creating designs that adhere to each models’ individual body type.
One of the pieces featured in her collection was a light blue dress with flared sleeves and two pockets sewn onto it, but Burton said her favorite was a form-fitting purple satin mermaid dress, with ruffles and a v-neck halter top. The look was accompanied with a pink, purple and red flower headpiece, a silver diamond necklace and dangling silver diamond earrings.
“My favorite is the purple dress with the flower headpiece, it fit the model so well,” Burton said.
Burton said this wasn’t her first rodeo with fashion weeks. She said in 2019 she had the opportunity to participate in the High Fashion Tea runway and New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in 2020, an experience she said she was grateful to have had.
“It was a great experience [and] everyone was nice,” Burton said. “I got to ride in a limo and everything. I asked for a taxi but they sent over a limo.”
Burton said though she has had her fair share of struggles in recent years, she is excited to get back into the fashion industry.
“I had my daughter in 2021 and [I] was going through postpartum after I had her, and I didn’t feel like making any clothes at that time,” Burton said. “From 2020 to now, I have not made a new collection. But I’m over that now and I’m back and I’m better.”
Burton said she will be sharing more details about her postpartum journey and how it affected her designs in more detail during the Finale Runway Show this Saturday.
Antonia Richardson, one of Burton’s models, said a designer’s impact is often measured not only by their creations but by the connections they foster within the industry.
“I loved working with her. Her designs are absolutely beautiful and it was so much fun working on this runway,” Richardson said. “It was an amazing opportunity and I hope to get to walk FWC again.”
Richardson said beyond getting to work with Burton, getting to work with all the other models is always a highlight of any runway.
“One of my favorite parts of the day was connecting backstage with the models,” Richardson said. “Some I [had] never met before, others I’ve had the pleasure of modeling with several times and reconnected and one we kept in touch with each other’s work virtually and finally had this gig together.”
Following Burton was designer Candace Walker, the founder of ELAINA B. which she started in 2012 as a ready-to-wear brand. She said she has since branched out, now specializing in custom couture formal wear, which includes bridal gowns and ball gowns.
One of her standout designs during the event was a satin black dress adorned with multicolored sequined floral embroidery. Another was a stunning white iridescent gown with matching bows on the shoulders. Walker also showcased a layered black dress crafted from faux leather, adding texture and edge to her collection.
Akili Cooper, owner and creative director of JAHI — a couture evening wear brand with a focus on allowing women to embrace a style that showcases their confidence — finished off the runway Sunday with a sophisticated collection that featured florals, sparkles and lots of pink.
One of the models sported a long, black velvet dress with a slit and jewels cascading down the back, completed with black sheer gloves. Another outfit saw the model with tone-matching sheer completely covered in diamonds with a darker brown ruffled top boa.
There are still more exciting events to come this week, including the Nordstrom Fall Beauty Showcase, The Recycled Runway and the 15th Annual Finale Runway Show.
For more information about the week’s upcoming events, visit FWC’s website.
