Ohio Stadium is trading in footballs for fashion this Thursday.
Ohio State is set to host its second Buckeye Fall Fashion Market — a one-stop shopping experience for all things Ohio State — Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Ohio Stadium’s Huntington Club.
The event is free for all Ohio State students with an active BuckID and will feature womenswear clothing and accessory collections from more than 20 brands, Anna Vonderhaar, the director of marketing and loyalty programs at Ohio State, said.
Vonderhaar said providing more womenswear options to Buckeye fans has been a key focus at Ohio State for the past couple of years.
“I don’t think [womenswear has] gotten the attention or time that it deserves in the past,” Vonderhaar said. “There used to be a term when referring to women’s wear in licensing and it was called ‘pink it and shink it,’ meaning brands would create a line for men and put a lot of time and attention into it and then to create the women’s version of that they would make it pink and make it smaller. We have just felt that that is never really representative of women or what women want or deserve.”
Vonderhaar said following last year’s market, they gave attendees a survey that allowed them to share their feedback about the event that would allow the university to improve the event for this year.
“It was the first year and we wanted to understand what people liked and what they didn’t like and really be able to perfect it if we did bring it back,” Vonderhaar said. “We took that feedback to heart and I think there were a couple takeaways that we utilized this year to really amplify and elevate the event from last year.”
One of those changes, Vonderhaar said, was all brands attending the event must be selling.
“We had a couple [brands] last year that were just showcasing their assortment and that was the feedback we got, ‘If you have it there, we want to be able to buy it,’ so we made that mandatory this year,” Vonderhaar said.
Vonderhaar said during last year’s event they hosted a showcase, in which all of our volunteers wore the products available for purchase with credentials that read, “Ask me what I’m wearing,” providing an opportunity for attendees to see the pieces on a person and learn more about the brands. She said one of this year’s goals was to improve upon this experience.
“This year we wanted to elevate it a little bit so it’s the same concept except we just want to make sure that people see every single person so it isn’t a fashion show, but we’re calling it a fashion showcase,” Vonderhaar said. “We will bring each of the staff members on stage and have them speak to the brands that they are wearing and the styles they are wearing.”
Another addition to this year’s market is the VIP lounge, which features a complementary champagne wall, custom jewelry engravings from Kyle Cavan Jewlery, cocktail tastings with Patron Tequila and professional photos with Brutus.
“It’s something that we wanted to include at some point so we’re excited to bring that to life this year,” Vonderhaar said. “That is going to be a new experience and those sold out pretty quickly so we are excited to see how our guests enjoy that.”
Vonderhaar said with the addition of five new brands this year, there will be a total of 25 participating brands including Gameday Social, Wrangler, The Wild Collective, KadyLuxe and more.
Erin McMahon, the executive assistant of Gameday Social, said having first started selling officially liscensed Ohio State merchandise in 2022, the opportunity to participate in the market for the first time this year is really important to them.
“With Ohio State still being a newer license for us, we felt it would be a great opportunity for us to see first hand what the atmosphere is like and get a better understanding of the wants and needs of the consumer,” McMahon said. “This is crucial for us as a brand as we strive to develop elevated garments and stay ahead of trends.”
McMahon said jackets and sweaters have been the brand’s focus in terms of its Ohio State offerings, as they have proven to be the most popular choices for game day.
“The Varsity Bomber Jacket is my favorite Ohio State piece that we carry, so that was a no brainer. I think it is great for [a younger] demographic and quite literally the best fitting varsity jacket I've seen — [but] I could be bias — and then the [Ohio State Checkerboard Crop Sweater] is a fan favorite,” McMahon said. “We continue to see a high demand for checkerboard and our sweaters are really what put us on the map as far as being a licensed women owned clothing brand.”
Whitney Deady, the national sales director at KadyLuxe, said the brand first started selling officially licensed Ohio State gear in the Summer of 2023.
“We sought out selling Ohio State merchandise because we know the fans are the best in the country,” Deady said. “We know the female consumer in Columbus is excitedly looking for fashion trends, which is what we deliver year after year.”
Deady said this will be KadyLuxe’s second year participating in the market, something the brand is grateful to participate in again.
“We were lucky to be a part of the first Buckeye Fall Fashion Market last year and loved having the opportunity to not only meet the Buckeyes fans firsthand, but also getting their feedback on our product, getting brand exposure, while allowing them to shop right there,” Deady said.
Similar to Gameday Social, Deady said Kadyluxe will have a focus on sweaters in jackets, in preparation for the colder months of Ohio State football games.
“I am looking forward to seeing the excitement from the Ohio State fans over our new, amazing items,” Deady said. “We have introduced a stunning bespoke, chain-stitched Love Letter Sweater, along with our OSU Cargo Puffer Jacket, perfect for our cold Ohio Winters. We have everything from game day essentials to the coziest lounge set, so something for everyone.”
Vonderhaar said she has high hopes for the continued success of the market.
“As long as the feedback from our fans is continually positive, that’s a win for use because it’s truly about our fanbase and making sure that we’re delivering to them,” Vonderhaar said. “We’ll continue to ask for feedback from our fans each year and make sure we’re creating something that they are looking for. At the end of the day as long as we’re making our fans happy, we’re happy.”
Though VIP tickets are sold out, $25 general admission tickets are still available to purchase on Ohio State’s website.
SHOOT LEAD Samantha Harden / MODELS Paige Kadar, Samantha Harden, Ella-Paige Kolaska / PHOTOGRAPHY Maggie Harkins / A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO Anna Vonderhaar and Kathleen Jones from The Ohio State University and Alexis Shoemaker from The Ohio State Team Shop
