Carolyn Martin

Genoveva Christoff

Ann Mitchell

On October 9th, High Fashion High Tea with Mayor Michael B. Coleman will officially kick off the seven-day fashion frenzy that is Fashion Week Columbus. The week culminates with the highly anticipated Finale Runway show on October 14th. In celebration of this second annual extravaganza, (614) showcases some of Fashion Week’s finest and discovers the inspiration and motivation behind their intelligent designs.

Nicholle Jones

Motivated to achieve the things that her grandmother, who worked as a seamstress and tailor, could not, Nicholle Jones was compelled to pursue a career in fashion. A gig with New York Fashion Week only cemented her passion for the industry. Jones graduated from OSU with a degree in textiles and clothing and went on to intern at Donna Karan. Additional experience designing costumes for BalletMet, as well as visual design for Victoria Secret, navigated Jones in the direction of starting her own fashion design company. Seasoned by her past experience, she now works as a designer and milliner creating one-of-a-kind fascinations.

Carolyn Martin

Before re-discovering her passion for clothing design, Carolyn Martin was a veterinary student at OSU and also served our country in Iraq. After realizing the career potential in the fashion industry, Martin decided she would much rather put the same long hours spent studying science into studying fashion design and enrolled in CCAD. Prints and color are what inspire Martin, who likes to create a sense of energy using bright tones, mixed prints or texture in her designs. Martin hopes to someday open an online boutique to share her looks with the world.

Genoveva Christoff

Anative of Macedonia, Genoveva Christoff immigrated to the U.S. in pursuit of the American dream. Some of her fondest childhood memories are those of being mentored by her mother, who worked as a seamstress. The long hours spent redesigning her mother’s old dresses and drawing and painting clothing sketches prompted the realization that fashion was her calling. The CCAD graduate creates feminine and elegant pieces, drawing inspiration from just about anything that catches her eye. For Christoff, Fashion Week Columbus provides a unique opportunity to observe the public’s response to her collection.

Ann Mitchell

Much like her unique and custom clothing designs, Ann Mitchell leads a life that’s tailored to her own standards. While currently working as a corporate executive for a major insurance company, Mitchell also maintains a career as a fashion designer. The opportunity to design her own fashions first presented itself at age seven, when she desperately wanted to wear a white patent leather skirt on picture day. At the age of 13, persistence and an entrepreneurial sprit led to a job with a local tailor where she worked as a seamstress for six years learning the arts of tailoring, flat pattern design and fabric manipulation. Presently, she creates custom wardrobe essentials, like her Little Black Dress Collection, that meet every woman’s unique style. In the future, Mitchell hopes to own a custom clothing design company with retail lines in both local and national dress boutiques.

For more information on Fashion Week Columbus 2011 (October 9th – 15th), visit www.fashionweekcolumbus.com.

Photography
Chris Casella
Casella Photography
www.chriscasella.com

Styling/Set-Design
Erika Dellatorre
Erica Zurmehly
www.pieceofchic.net

Hair
Cut N Blow Salon
1244 N High St.
(614) 824-1619
www.cutnblow.net

Makeup
Lauren Monroe Cosmetics
1637 Northwest Blvd. #21
(937) 408-0241
www.laurenmonroecosmetics.com