Photo Credit: Drex Agency 

The Ohio State University is preparing to host the first-ever Buckeye Fall Fashion Market on Thursday from 4-9 p.m. in the Huntington Club at the Ohio Stadium. The event is a one-stop shopping opportunity for Buckeyes. 

The event is free to students and has a $10 entry fee for anyone without a BuckID. 

Anna Vonderhaar, director of marketing and loyalty programming at Ohio State, said the event will feature 20 brands, including Champion, Vera Bradley and Lululemon, who are presenting their collections of officially licensed Ohio State gear.

“Some of these brands are familiar to a lot of people, but there are also some that people might not be as familiar with,” Vonderhaar said. “What’s special is that it’s the first time you’ll be able to shop all these brands in one place.” 

The event has three presenting sponsors – The Wild Collective, Wrangler and Colleseum – who have dedicated a lot of their time and effort to ensure fans’ fashion needs are being met, said Vonderhaar.

“The goal is to make sure it is meeting our fan base,” Vonderhaar said. “We’ve heard from our fan base that there is a want for more women’s-wear assortment.”

Maria Donoghue, executive vice president of marketing at Colosseum and Wrangler, said that the interesting thing about the college market is that when it comes to shopping, women become the minority.

“For a couple of reasons, women’s fashion is always such a big part of the clothing industry but in college, it’s a much smaller piece,” Donoghue said. “In college, men take up about 60% of the market. It’s always been important to focus on growing that women’s business.” 

Donoghue said the Colosseum booth won’t be selling their collection but will instead be focusing on current trends and the future of the brand, while the Wrangler booth will have their current collection of Ohio State merchandise available. 

Whitney Bansin, CEO and designer at The Wild Collective, said that although the brand is based in Las Vegas, Nevada she is excited to be a part of the event. 

“We are a fashion-forward brand so being a presenting sponsor made a ton of sense to us,” said Bansin. “Ohio State is a great collaborator and allows us to really lean into our designs and create new and exciting products.” 

Bansin said that The Wild Collective will be bringing their current collection – which includes glittery bomber jackets and leather pieces – to the event. 

Vonderhaar said that although this is the first time this event has happened she hopes to continue working towards providing fans with more opportunities to shop their favorite Ohio State clothes.

More information about the event is available at The Team Shop. 

Photo Credit: Tony Bentivenga

One year ago, on Oct. 22, 2022, the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC), the Columbus Fashion Council (CFC) and IL Moda Brands partnered to create the Common Thread Shops on Third – Columbus’ first fashion and retail district in Downtown Columbus that features local and national labels that were born out of the Columbus fashion industry. 

On Friday, The fashion council celebrated the first anniversary of the shops with a block party hosted at the shopping center with a DJ, giveaways, champagne toasts, food and dessert trucks and more.

Photo Credit: Tony Bentivenga

The event included an exclusive pop-up shop called “Prajjé Oscar and Friends” – put on by IL Moda Brands and Project Runway star and this year’s Fashion Week Columbus headline designer Prajjé O. Jean Baptiste – that featured both ready-to-wear and couture designs from some of the contestants who starred alongside Baptiste on “Project Runway All Stars.” 

Lubna Najjar, president of the Columbus Fashion Council and founder of IL Moda Brands, said the original goal of the Common Thread Shops was to bring the runway designs of local up-and-coming fashion designers to storefronts in the community. 

Photo Credit: Tony Bentivenga

“The shops provide an opportunity to test their market within the city of Columbus, which is a huge test market for apparel and retail,” said Najjar. “The hope is to continue to evolve the program and bring new tenants in new opportunities in the pop-up shop monthly.” 

The block party also served as the grand opening for two new tenants at the Common Thread Shops; By Field and Flower from vegan hatmaker Brooke Denune and Haitian-American mixed media artist Ludie Senatus’ label, who will join the six other brands at the shops including Alex Vinash New York, Encinas Designs, Xantha Ward, Joan Madison Couture and White Canvas Designs & Holistic Wellness. 

Brooke Denune, founder of By Field and Flower, said she first began her fashion career at Kent State University where she studied fashion merchandising before graduating in 2018 and moving to Los Angeles to start her company. 

Photo Credit: Samantha Harden 

The goal of the brand, Denune said, was to merge her love for fashion with her passion for giving back. For that reason, a percentage of every hat sale made goes towards protecting bee and butterfly habitats around the world. 

“Pollinators are so important to the environment, that’s kind of the base from where everything starts,” said Denune. 

Denune said when Lubna came to her with the opportunity to join the Common Thread Shops she jumped at the opportunity. 

“I’ve known Lubna Najjar for like 10 years now. She was my mentor back when I was in high school and she is kind of the whole reason I got into the fashion industry,” said Denune “Now I’ve worked in the fashion industry for about seven years, all over the place. Living in L.A. was great, but there is just so much competition. The city just isn’t designed to help small businesses. I just feel like there is so much more room for growth in Columbus.” 

Photo Credit: Samantha Harden

Denune said she wanted to bring the idea of hat bars — a store with a variety of hats that customers can choose from and customize — to the Midwest and she wanted to make it affordable. 

“With TikTok recently, it has grown and the thing I think people don’t realize about the hat bars they see on TikTok and they do amazing things and they are so cool, but they are $800 hats,” said Denune. “I wanted something like that. Everyone deserves to have a customized hat but I also wanted it to fit in their price point.”

Photo Credit: Tony Bentivenga

By Field and Flower is now open at the Common Thread Shops on Third. The shops are open Thursday-Saturday 12-6 p.m. at 249-275 S. Third St. 

For more information visit the Common Thread Shops on Third website. 

“Monster High,” the American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise, began with the release of just six dolls in 2010 – Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Deuce Gorgon, Frankie Stein and Draculaura – all representing teenage children of iconic monsters and creatures from classic films, folklore and myths. 

Since then, the franchise has grown to include two spin-off toy lines – “Ever After High” in July 2013 based on fairy tales and fables and “Enchantimals” in 2017 featuring human-animal hybrids – and has released close to 1,000 Monster High dolls. 

Now, just in time for Halloween, “Monster High” is ready to release the first-ever ready-to-scare collection in collaboration with Off-White™. A collection of designer dolls that are ready to make a grand en-trance at any red carpet event. 

The Electra Melody Doll – which launches this Friday at 9 a.m. – is the first of four new ghouls in this high-fashion collaboration with Off-White™, with the other four dolls being released by January 2024. 

According to Mattel’s website, each of the outfits for the four new dolls was hand-picked by the Off-White™ team from some of the brand’s most iconic archival runway looks. 

The Electra Melody Doll is wearing a look from 2018 – the “DRESS” dress, mismatched red and black webbed gloves, Off-White™ inspired clear shoes and sunglasses along with an Off-White™ Burrow 22 shoulder bag with a skullette charm added. Her look is completed with an orange and black mohawk, orange eyeshadow and black lipstick to tie everything together. 

Annalise Lao, the senior product designer at Mattel said in a statement on Mattel’s website that creating the miniatures for the dolls wasn’t easy but it paid off in the end. 

“The Off-White™ team sent us references of patterns, runway photography and even some in-house samples to understand the construction of the garments and accessories,” said designer Lao. “And if you look closely, you just might find some unique Monster High twists to some of the looks.” 

The doll comes complete with an Off-White™ certificate of authenticity and display box. The box comes with a clear display case and display stand for the doll’s bag. 

“We felt that every detail of the doll, fashion and their accessories are worthy of an experience equivalent to an art gallery exhibit,” said packaging designer Olga Tesler in a statement on Mattel’s website.

Electra Melody will be available for purchase on Mattel’s website for $150 this Friday with a limit of two dolls per order.

PHOTOS FROM: Mattel Creations

This year, Fashion Week Columbus (FWC) made a statement by becoming the first-ever fur-free fashion week in the United States. Then, celebrity designer Prajjé O. Jean Baptiste and some of Columbus’ fashion leaders had their turn Saturday night at the 14th Annual Finale Runway.

A Fur-Free Runway

“We want to use our platform to bring awareness to changing societal industry norms and supporting missions that allign with our goals,” said Chatman. 

FWC, the flagship program of the Columbus Fashion Council became the first U.S. fashion week to adopt a public fur-free policy, joining fur-free fashion weeks in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Perth. 

The policy, forged in collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States, took effect during this year’s FWC programming and was highlighted during the finale runway.

Keira Chatman, the executive director of FWC said the Columbus Fashion Council, with help from the Humane Society, has brought awareness of the mistreatment of animals in fashion to the Columbus City Council in hopes of having legislation passed against new fur sales in Columbus. 

“We host one of the largest fashion weeks in the nation and we want to use our platform to bring awareness to changing societal industry norms and supporting missions that align with our goals,” said Chatman. “We want to make fashion fun, but without harming animals in the process.”

Chatman said that FWC will no longer support fur within their events or on their runways and has hopes that FWC can serve as a role model for others around the world. 

Fashion in Columbus 

“Now it’s my turn to give back,” said Najjar. 

The event began with remarks from Columbus Fashion Council president Lubna Najjar, who told the story of her own experience in the program before joining the board in 2016.

“Ten years ago, I showcased my work as a designer for the first time in Columbus,” said Najjar. “Fashion week really propelled my brand forward and the council’s resources were a big part of that. I know what it did for me and I know what it can do for others and now it’s my turn to give back.” 

The focus of both FWC and the Columbus Fashion Council is to help small businesses grow, said Najjar. 

“We love the creative world,” said Najjar in an interview with Scarlette. “The angle for us is that we want to take talent and make it into a business and help people sustain a business doing what they love.” 

One year ago, the Columbus Fashion Council and the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation teamed up to create the Common Thread Shops on 3rd, a shopping destination located in the ground-floor retail space of the Columbus Commons Parking Garage that Najjar said is dedicated to helping local designers grow their businesses.

“The hope is that people realize that they don’t have to leave Columbus to pursue a career in fashion,” said Najjar. “You don’t have to go to New York or Los Angeles, there is so much right here in Columbus.” 

The Designers 

Peruvian designer Juan Jose Saenz-Ferreyros opened the show with a collection of evening wear featuring chiffon, crystals and intricate beading. Looks that he said were inspired by the extravagant parties his parents used to host in Lima, Peru. 

Following Saenz-Ferreyros was a minimalist collection from designer Renae Kotarski, using eco-friendly and ethically sourced materials to create a line of modern clothing with a feminine high-fashion appeal.

James White, a self-taught fashion designer filled the third portion of the show, featuring a collection of bold patterned dresses and suits.  

Austin Tootle, a Columbus native and recent Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) graduate, featured a lingerie collection telling two different stories, one representing gods and the other representing monsters, telling the audience, “You can decide which is which.” 

Reusing and recycling, designer Xantha Ward said she prides herself on her use of eco-friendly practices in her designs and presented her sustainability collection – with a focus on repurposed denim – during this year’s fashion week. 

Prajjé O. Jean Baptiste – a Haitian-born, U.S.-based designer who has been featured on two seasons of “Project Runway” and since then has grown his brand, Prajjé Oscar into a worldwide name – presented his collection, “Nos Ginen,” as the headline designer during this year’s finale runway. 

“They chose me, and I am glad they did,” said Baptiste. 

The collection, Baptiste said, was inspired by childhood memories of dressing up in clothes from his grandmother’s closet. The looks featured bold colors and floral patterns, giving off a couture meets streetwear feel. 

“It was time to tap into the memory box,” said Baptiste in an interview with Scarlette. “My childhood with my grandmother are some of the happiest moments of my childhood.” 

Baptiste said that he had never traveled to Columbus before but that the experience had left a lasting impression on him. 

“The one thing that impressed me the most is the platform that the council with Fashion Week is creating for designers,” said Baptiste. “They chose me, and I am glad they did. I have new, very determined and dedicated friends pushing fashion forward.” 

To view Scarlette’s full gallery from the event click here.

PHOTOGRAPHY Bella Sgarlata 

One of Ohio State’s newest organizations, Students for Sustainable Fashion, is starting the semester strong, working towards hosting more events, guest speakers and sewing workshops throughout the semester. 

Vir Kolpe, a third-year in finance and fashion and retail studies and the treasurer and co-founder of the club, said that if the weather allows, the club will be hosting its first event of the semester on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. on the Oval.

The event is a do-it-yourself merch day and ice cream social that is free for anyone to attend. 

Molly Hoskin, a third-year in environment, economy, development and sustainability (EEDS) and the president and co-founder of the club, said the event is an opportunity for people to bring their old, unworn clothes and turn them into something new using markers, paints and other provided materials.

“Our goal is to educate people on sustainability within fashion,” said Hoskin. “We also want to provide a creative outlet for people to make their own clothing and feel inspired.” 

Kolpe said that along with this event, he and Hoskin hope to bring more attention to the idea of sustainable fashion, particularly when it comes to accessibility and purchasing habits of college students. 

“One of the main things that affects college students is lack of ability to actually go out and buy clothing,” said Kolpe. 

Online shopping is always the easy option, explained Hoskin, but it is important to consider the impact your shopping habits have on the world around you. 

“People don’t feel the impact because it’s not affecting them directly, but in the long term it is affecting the economy and the environment,” said Hoskin. “Instead you can repair what you already have, buy less and support businesses who implement sustainable practices.” 

Kolpe said it is important to put a more conscious and responsible lens on what you, as a consumer, can do to work towards creating a more sustainable world. 

“I see sustainability in fashion as a cultural movement based around supporting people who are trying to move fashion forward by promoting ethical consumption and sourcing, researching where you are buying from and moving away from fast fashion as a trend,” said Kolpe. “It is important to focus on sustainable fashion as an umbrella term, it’s not just about one thing, it has environmental, cultural, social and economic effects.” 

Hoskin said the idea for the club first came about when she decided to become an EEDS major and became more passionate about sustainability and fashion.

“Out of curiosity I wanted to see if there was a sustainable fashion club on campus,” said Hoskin. “When I saw there wasn’t I was like why don’t I just start my own.”

Hoskin said the club took its first form in the spring of last year, but that this semester is the club’s first active semester on campus. 

Students for Sustainable Fashion hosts bi-weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. in Enerson, room 330. The next meeting will be on Sept. 13. 

For more information about the club and upcoming events follow Students for Sustainable Fashion on Instagram.

Over the years Coca-Cola has created many limited edition bottles and cans, including collaborations with artists like Marshmallow and special edition designs from shows like “Sex and the City,” but some of the most iconic Coca-Cola bottle designs have come from famous fashion designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier. 

Before the complete collection of Coca-Cola fashion bottles were released in 2009, Elio Fiorucci designed a few limited edition glass Coca-Cola bottles. The original design was a retro bottle with baby pink lips that read “Love Therapy by Elio Fiorucci” across the front. Another design, given the name “Queen of the Night,” was a blue bottle with a woman on the front, wearing a bright pink dress with blue hearts all over it. 

In 2009 came the original release of the “Tribute to Fashion” Coca-Cola bottle designs as a part of the “Tribute to Fashion” charity project. Coca-Cola asked some of the best Italian designers, including Moschino, Donatella Versace, Blumarine and Angela Missoni, to design limited edition bottle designs. The money earned through this project went to victims who survived the devastating earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy back in 2009. 

Moschino went all out, creating four unique bottle designs. The simplest of the bunch was a nude-colored bottle, featuring a chocolate drizzle design. The most iconic Moschino bottle design was the ladybug dress bottle that even included its own earrings. 

The 2009 bottle, designed by Marni, was one of the simpler designs. The bottle featured a polka dot design that faded from a bright orange to a brown color. 

The two bottles designed by Ferretti were among some of the more elegant designs. One bottle featured a black mesh look with ruffles. The other was a purple, velvet bottle. Each design was topped off with a bow and a Alberta Ferretti banner across the bottom. 

Fendi’s Coca-Cola bottle designs were more subtle than some of the other designer’s bottles. Fendi’s bottles had colorful polka dots overlaying the iconic Fendi “F” pattern.

Versace’s theme, now more fitting than ever, was Malibu Barbie. One bottle was bright pink with a bubble design, each bubble having the iconic Versace logo in the center. The other bottle featured palm trees and butterflies and most importantly, a blue bottle cap with a pink convertible and miniature Barbie sitting on the top. 

Missoni’s Coca-Cola bottle design was covered from top-to-bottom in a colorful chevron pattern.

Blumarine created elegant rose-covered bottles. One a light pink rose petal bottle and the other, a bright pink bottle covered in tiny 3-dimensional roses of varying colors and sizes, some having glitter and others having tiny pearls in the center. 

Since 2009, Coca-Cola has continued to partner with fashion designers around the world to create one-of-a-kind Coca-Cola bottles. 

In 2011 came the release of the 3-bottle set designed by Karl Lagerfeld. Each bottle, individually numbered 1, 2 and 3, featured different pink and silver designs, all topped off with a silhouette of Lagerfeld and a pink bottle cap. 

In April 2012, the Coca-Cola aluminum Jean Paul Gaultier “Night” and “Day” bottles were released as a part of a 3-bottle set. The “Night” bottle featured a corset design while the “Day” bottle featured a striped shirt with a star tattoo, giving an almost nautical feel to the daytime design. 

In 2013, Chantal Thomass added a pink, lacey bottle to the line-up. The couture-inspired lingerie brand topped off the design with a black heart-shaped ribbon around the front of the bottle, creating a dreamy, pink Coca-Cola bottle.