For the Columbus Fashion Alliance (CFA), making the Arch City the capital of fashion has always been in the plan.
Yohannan Terrell started the nonprofit in 2019 after noticing disruptions in the fashion supply chain and industry regulations. He took advantage of the onset of the pandemic to strategize on CFA, seeking to build pathways for young creatives in Columbus, a major market for fashion in the Midwest.
“The mission has definitely been clear and simple for us is to rebuild a new economy around the fashion industry here in Columbus,” said Terrell, who also founded the marketing firm Warhol & Wall Street. “The audacious goal is to make Columbus the No. 1 to start or grow a fashion-based business. We want to be the hub for the future of fashion. That starts with education, so we want the future of fashion to be driven by people in Columbus and people outside the market.”
Through an eight-week paid summer internship program known as Future of Fashion, CFA offers black teenagers the opportunity to create their own clothing line using the manufacturing labs at the Columbus Idea Foundry. At CFA’s makeshift headquarters, young interns will gain the tools they need to become fashion entrepreneurs driving innovation and content. Students also indirectly learn about other fields such as STEM through digital and tactile design, along with building market pop-ups.
“Young people really understand the game; they lead in fashion, they are its influencers. When you give them the tools and knowledge in addition to that, you’re really fostering the next generation of leaders who are going to build brands and create businesses that are going to support the fashion industry,” Terrell said.
Support also comes from civic partners and community and industry leaders. In March, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners contributed $375,000 to support CFA’s expansion to stimulate growth and attract aspiring designers. The collaboration also led to the SLAY SAFE campaign, in which designed face masks were offered to the community. While the investments for the non-profit organization are numerous, the CFA prides itself on cross-sector collaboration through civic leadership.
Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley noted that designers of color are disproportionately excluded from the fashion and retail spaces, an unfair practice that CFA seeks to change.
“The work for CFA aligns with the racial equity work we’re doing here in the county, especially realizing that the pandemic hit more diverse communities, especially the underserved and communities of color,” Crawley said. “CFA is the type of partnership we love to have and we want to foster that growth because they are making a difference in the lives of our community.”
While local black-owned streetwear brands like Ransom Supply, Starstrukt Apparel, MOUF Worldwide and Compliment USA are led by millennial designers, The Future of Fashion internship program will shape Gen-Zers to become new leaders of the market directly to the consumer. . Joseph Brim, an entrepreneur who helped develop The Future of Fashion program, emphasized the importance of giving young designers hands-on experiences with growth potential.
“With the Internet and cultural shifts to more digital experiences, access to expensive tools that were once limited, and a support team, new creators can bypass traditional, outdated ways of launching and sustaining a brand,” said Brim.
With FoF currently in its second iteration, the program now takes students behind the scenes, sharing knowledge of merchandising, marketing, visual production and fashion sustainability. CFA followers can expect the organization to create activations and events in the future. While the organization holds an occasional exhibit at the Gravity Project in Franklinton, FoF appeared in the Short North.
“We had our market in the short north, [through] the Future of Fashion internship program, where we’re teaching young kids about the fashion industry,” Terrell said. “Many residents living in the city, many of them understand fashion; they lead it, they influence it, they are affected by it. What we did was simply show them that they can be the future leaders in the fashion industry.
In August, 2,000 outfits will be donated by Fof to local students, pushing their initiative forward. As CFA continues to give young creatives the confidence to build their skills – and their brand – in Columbus, FoF designers don’t have to look far to get started. Fashion forward is being achieved right here in Central Ohio.
“Columbus really has an opportunity to differentiate itself from New York and LA. We’re not trying to be like them, we’re trying to be Columbus,” Terrell said. “I think the Midwest has its own spirit and attitude around fashion anyway, so who better to lead that movement than Columbus?”
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