Photo courtesy of Fashion Meets Music Festival
This year’s fashion portion of the Fashion Meets Music Festival is branching out beyond Columbus.
While last year’s designers were all local to Ohio, the 24 designers and brands included in the festival’s second year are coming to the Arena District from places across the U.S.
Fashion Producer Horacio Nieto says he wanted introduce new people to the festival and the city while finding designers in a variety of genres.
“It’s a complete 180 from last year,” he says.
Nieto, who has been in the fashion industry for about 12 years, participated in last year’s event as a designer. The experience gave him a unique perspective when it came time to plan the festival’s second year.
“You have to be able to grow and learn,” he says.
While last year’s shows were a bit segregated from the musical talent, this year, the music tent is going to be right next to the main stage, Nieto says. When attendees walk into McFerson Commons Park under the arch, the 120-by-80-foot tent will be right in front of them. Fashion shows will be done in hour intervals in between the action on the main music stage. On average, about 10 fashion shows will be done per day.
“This is something completely new,” Nieto says.
Photo courtesy of Fashion Meets Music Festival
Nieto says he was careful to keep a balance between emerging local talent and national designers. There are even four London designers participating under the group Fashion Meets Music London. In addition to featuring nationally known swimwear designer Patrick T Cooper, the event also includes four Project Runway alumni: Linda Rowe Thomas, Michael Drummond, Kahindo Mateene and Joshua Christensen.
“I’ve been pretty lucky with the four that I’ve chosen,” Nieto says.
Four designers are returning from last year. In selecting designers for the festival, Nieto paid close attention to design aesthetic. Rather than choosing a theme, he encouraged each designer to show his or her best work. Some are creating specific pieces for the festival, while others are showcasing a mix of older and newer looks.
“I didn’t want to put any limits on them,” Nieto says.
Each designer will have a show that lasts for about 15-30 minutes, with models walking down a 60-foot runway. Some of the shows will feature live music chosen by the festival’s music team. Nieto worked with the music and fashion artists to pair the right parties together.
“It actually worked out very well,” he says.
If You Go
Fashion Meets Music Festival
Sept. 5-6
Arena District
