Miami Valley fashion designers showcase collections at Columbus fashion show this week

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Behind New York City and Los Angeles, Columbus is actually home to the third-largest concentration of fashion designers in the United States. This fact is thanks in large part to the mentorship provided to future fashion designers by the Columbus College of Art & Design.

On Friday, May 14, 12 undergraduate students from the college will have a chance to show off their collections at the 2021 CCAD Fashion Show. Two of those fashion designers — JoVaughn Salaam and Jo Baudendistel — are from the Miami Valley.

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Dayton native JoVaughn Salaam’s collection, “Vintage Wheatstrow,” was inspired by the time spent getting to know his father during the pandemic. In fact, the name of his collection is actually the nickname given to his father when he was a drug dealer in his youth. “I wanted to dig deep inside his head to portray the life of a drug dealer from a young age growing into a man through my collection,” Salaam told CCAD. Salaam sought to capture the era in which his father was a “street hustler” during the late 1980s and early 1990s by sifting through racks of clothing at thrift stores.

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Undergraduate student Jo Baudendistel, originally from Farmersville, was inspired by a different version of Marie Antoinette for her collection, called “La Petite Maison De La Reine” or “The Little House of the Queen.” “While we have versions of her in pop culture that talk about how she was materialistic and vain, she actually hated court life and preferred to spend her time in her country home with a few of her closest friends,” Baudendistel told CCAD. So, rather than draw inspiration from the typical image of Antoinette outfitted in a traditional corset and hooped skirt of the times, Baudendistel focused on Antoinette’s tendency to wear comfortable and colorful clothing.

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Sustainability was also important to Baudendistel. In fact, the undergraduate’s collection is comprised of 85 percent thrifted materials. “I believe that part of the answer to the fashion industry’s pollution problem is moving back to slow fashion, and taking pride in the pieces that we own,” Baudendistel said.

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Credit: Columbus College of Art & Design

Both designers, along with 16 of their fellow students, will be presenting their collections at the 2021 CCAD Fashion Show on Friday, May 14. The event will be presented in person at the Easton Community Drive-In and virtually. The event will be emceed by Muse Machine alumna Amber Knicole, lead singer of MojoFlo, and co-hosted by Columbus city councilwoman Shayla Favor, Katie Kaufman and CCAD trustees Corey Favor and Brett Kaufman. Representatives from area fashion brands Designer Brands, Inc, Easton, Ambercrombie & Fitch Co., Justice Design Lab, L Brands Foundation and Wardrobe Therapy will serve on this year’s panel of jurors.

“The designers featured in this year’s show have persevered through a pandemic to create impressive looks that showcase the future of design,” said Professor Suzanne Cotton, chair of CCAD’s Fashion Design program. “I’m thrilled to be able to show Columbus and the world the creativity and talent of this year’s designers.”

Tickets to the runway show are currently sold out.

To learn more about the Miami Valley designers and the 2021 CCAD Fashion Show, pay a visit to the CCAD Fashion Show’s website.

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