Style Capital: The Global Influence of Columbus Fashion

The Community's Conversation

Did you know Columbus has the third largest concentration of fashion designers in the country? Earlier this year, the website Livability.com called Columbus a “surprising hub of the fashion industry.”

But it’s no surprise at all to those in the industry, especially for the thousands of creative people behind the fashion giants that call Central Ohio home, including Justice, Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, DSW, L Brands, VS&Co., and other global leaders that pump millions into Ohio’s economy.

Hardly any aspect of the fashion industry isn’t represented in Central Ohio, including product and store design, packaging, logistics, distribution, and every specialty in between. Central Ohio is both attracting fashion industry talent and growing its own, with The Ohio State University and Columbus College of Art and Design nurturing the next generation of fashion leaders and connecting them with career opportunities that don’t come with New York or LA costs of living.

Key local nonprofits, including the Columbus Fashion Council and the Columbus Fashion Alliance are also helping drive the industry’s growth and fueling the movement to keep emerging fashion talent rooted in Ohio. Just ahead of Fashion Week Columbus, we host industry experts for an inside look at fashion's deep roots in Central Ohio and Columbus’s prominence as global style leader.

The speakers are:

Lubna Najjar, Founder & CEO, IL Moda Brand Development, Creative Director, Her Denim, and Board President, Columbus Fashion Council

Melanie Corn, Ed.D., President, Columbus College of Art & Design

And Katherine DePizzo, President, Justice Design Lab

The host is Maria Seguin, Board Member, Columbus Fashion Council, and Member, OSU Fashion & Retail Industry.

This forum was sponsored by The Carol A. McGuire Legacy in Civic Engagement Fund Celebrating Arts & Culture.

It was supported by The Ellis, L!VE, and King Business Interiors.

The livestream was presented by The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village, on September 20, 2023.