Considering going to Fashion Week Columbus? Here’s everything you need to know before purchasing your ticket.
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After moving to Ohio, I immediately started looking into the fashion scene in Columbus, and when I came across Fashion Week Columbus, I knew it was something I wanted to attend.
After doing research, I realized that there were multiple shows throughout the week, some that were more affordable and some that were a little more expensive to attend.
I live about an hour+ from Columbus, so I knew I couldn’t go to every event they were hosting. After ticket sales launched, I decided to go to the finale event because I thought it would be the biggest show and give me the best representation of Fashion Week Columbus.
I attended the FWC 2022 finale show on Saturday, October 15, 2022. In this post, I will be sharing my experience and everything you need to know before purchasing your Fashion Week Columbus tickets.
Fashion Week Columbus:
Before the Show
Doors opened for VIPs and “The Fashion Presentation” at 6:00 p.m. I wasn’t sure if we could go into the Fashion Presentation at general admission, but it ended up being only for VIP tickets.
The doors opened for general admission at 7:00 p.m. After being let in, we had the opportunity to snap a photo with the Fashion Week Columbus backdrop, and then we walked through a mini museum with designers’ looks that had been worn by celebrities, including looks from Gerardo Encinas and FWC22 Headline Designer, Natalia Fedner.
The schedule said they would start letting us into the runway area to be seated at 7:45 p.m., but they didn’t actually start letting us in to be seated until 8:30 p.m.
So while we were waiting, we had to stand in a hallway with some recycling project posters for an hour and a half (and it got pretty crowded). I imagined they would have some local Columbus fashion booths set up, or at least somewhere we could purchase drinks, but only the VIP reception area could get drinks. We would have been better off coming in at 8:00 p.m., but I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss anything.
The runway was in a covered breezeway between two buildings in downtown Columbus. So yes, it is outside, which is important to consider in October.
After seating us, they spoke for about an hour about the fashion scene in Columbus and the new fashion district, and they presented awards and scholarships. It was cool to hear about what goes on in Columbus with fashion and the support for the small designers, but an hour seemed a little long after waiting for so long already.
The Show
The show finally started at 9:30 p.m. The show opened with a Boyence performance followed by eight designers with 12+ looks each:
Genoveva Christoff
Genoveva Christoff‘s collection was a collaboration between her two brands, Genoveva Christoff and Aspparel, with ballet-inspired touches. Aspparel offers activewear pieces that can easily transition from studio to street, which this collection showcased.
Austin Tootle
Austin Tootle describes this collection as a combination of 1960s aesthetic, tragic romance and vintage Hollywood paired with glamour and seductive melancholia. The runway opened with models in red capes, kind of like Pretty Little Liars or The Volturi from Twilight, starting at the wrong end of the runway, then walking up together in a very cult-like way and dropping their coats all at once, revealing the collection.
Andrew Shields
Andrew Shields specializes in bold prints, color, classic tailoring and conceptual club silhouettes. The FWC22 collection is described by Andrew as “a wild visual experience of ancient Mexico, aliens and angels.” The collection was dedicated to Andrew’s mom.
Akili Cooper
Akili Cooper is the designer of the couture eveningwear brand, Jahi. Throughout Akili’s collections, you will see inspirations of regal women, sophistication and pop culture.
Gerardo Encinas
Experienced designer Gerardo Encinas is known for couture gowns, bridal dresses and ready-to-wear. Gerardo has designed multiple dresses for notable Columbus drag queen Nina West and recently opened Encinas Designs boutique in Downtown Columbus. The FWC22 collection opened with a model wearing a life-sized sketch of the dress, then ripping it off to reveal the actual dress – check it out here.
Xantha Ward
Xantha Ward creates edgy, non-traditional clothes and accessories for the woman that knows who she is. I loved the butterflies featured in Xantha’s FWC22 collection.
James White
James White is a fashion designer with more than 15 years of experience, and the owner of Javius, a fashion brand that offers both apparel and footwear. James’s formal-wear collection featured a mixture of royalty, urban glam and luxury.
*I don’t know how I don’t have any clips of this one! *Update: After reviewing my camera role, it looks like this is when people were really starting to leave, so I was too shocked and distracted by that.
FWC22 Headline Designer, Natalia Fedner
The celebrity guest for the show was Natalia Fedner. Natalia has designed for celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B. My favorite part of the show was when two different-sized models swapped dresses on the runway. It expressed body-inclusivity, while also showing how her garments morph to your body.
It was originally supposed to be over at 10 p.m., but it went until 11:30 p.m.
General Admission vs. VIP Tickets
I purchased our tickets, and they were about $120 each for third-row (last-row) general admission. The runway was not lifted, so it would have been hard to see sitting. But since we were in the back row, we could stand. Plus, they had TVs set up, which really helps.
VIP tickets in the front row also came with VIP reception access and access to the Fashion Preview, and they would have been $300 each.
How would you rate the show?
Overall, I would rate the show and experience combined an 8/10.
I give the show itself a 9.5/10 (-0.5 because I think they could have lifted the runway). I really loved seeing all the local designers. In my opinion, they put on a great show that was definitely worth $120. We probably saw over 100 looks, and some of the designers had really creative presentations.
One thing I did not like was that people were getting up during the runways and walking across the runway to leave. In the middle of the show. I think a lot of people were there to support the models or only specific designers. The models were let go after walking, so you would see them come out and their families would then leave, which I just thought was really rude (although it did make it easier for me to see). During the closing speech, the amount people getting up and leaving reminded me of a class packing up as the bell rings. Just very disrespectful to the designers and hosts.
How would you rate the experience?
From the general admission perspective, I would give the experience around the event a 5/10. Once we were let in, we had to wait for a really long time with nowhere to sit, no drinks/food and basically nothing to do. I also thought there would be more to do around the event, even outside, since it was Saturday and the finale, but they didn’t really have anything public planned. There’s also not much street style on the streets, if you’re looking for that, and the time management around the show was not great.
I also have to say that they had an afterparty that I did not attend. But if you are truly going to experience the show, it was great.
Was it worth it?
I think general admission was worth it, but I don’t know if I would pay for VIP at that price. I think it’s a great experience if you have never been and want to get involved with the Columbus small fashion designer scene.
What should I wear to Fashion Week Columbus?
Since the venue is outside, I would recommend dressing warm and wearing layers. Some people were dressed up, so wear the outfit of your dreams!
As far as my outfit, I liked it, but it was not comfortable. I constantly felt like I was falling out the bottom, and I ended up wanting to lift my arms above my head a lot to film, so it was a good thing I had on my jacket. Overall, I’d wear something that doesn’t require me to fidget with it constantly in the future.