Cincinnati Fashion Week
Lauren Kelly
Issue date: 4/27/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Nathan Hurst, 23, hopes to change that with the founding of Cincinnati Fashion Week, a celebration of fashion, artistic expression and the Queen City that took place April 19-24. The camera flashes, VIP section and parade of models in colorful frocks may have been the most glamorous parts of Fashion Week, but in countless hours behind the scenes volunteer work had to happen first.
Hurst is the founder and CEO of Cincinnati Fashion Week. He came up with the idea for the event last November, when he returned from a show in San Francisco, which featured up-and-coming designers from around the country.
The experience was eye opening for Hurst, who appreciated the energy he found in the camaraderie with other people who wanted to do what he does.
"I came back to Cincinnati and so I thought, 'what I can I do to make this city a platform for emerging artists like myself, like this event was for me?' " he says. "So I thought, hey, I'll do a fashion week!
"Hurst began talking about his idea with his friends, like his then-coworker at Easy Spirit, Teren Posey, a senior at Northern Kentucky University.
"I want to break free from that Cincinnati reputation, like 'there's nothing to do in Cincinnati.' That's not true," Posey says. "If you feel like there's nothing to do, then do something. Nathan was brave enough to try it."
Brainstorming sessions turned into planning sessions after they set up a Facebook.com fan group for the event and things exploded from there. Sponsors like Vitamin Water, the CW and KISS 107 found Fashion Week on Facebook, as well as people interested in volunteering.
Posey directed and organized more than 150 Fashion Week volunteers. Volunteers like Derek Bauman, a policeman from Mason, Ohio, may seem like the last person interested in helping out with Fashion Week, but he was intrigued early on.
"I thought it was something really cool that Cincy has not done or seen before," Bauman says. "Sometimes we're not always leading the charge when it comes to new things."
As Cincinnati Fashion Week's director, he is the businessman to Hurst's creative whirlwind. Hurst also referred to Bauman as the party guy and the model guy.Promotional parties were key to creating an interest in Fashion Week. Bauman helped organize events at Mynt Martini Lounge, Aroma, Suite and other Cincinnati hotspots.
As the model guy, Bauman, along with Model and Talent Management (MTM), organized casting calls and the selection process. There were about 60 models in the show, 48 females and 12 males. Kate Myers was one of the models, but she says she almost didn't make the cut. Hurst had originally skipped over the 17-year-old Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy senior until he saw her polaroid. Instead Myers' cool gaze, teased blonde tresses and glittered shoulders have graced promotional materials and the Fashion Week Web site.
Hurst had a greater mission than just celebrating fashion designers' artistic visions. He wanted to celebrate Cincinnati, and to him that meant recognizing its youth. The First Face of Fashion was an opportunity to do that in the form of modeling competition, which aimed to help an aspiring model.
"The First Face of Fashion thing meant a lot to me," Hurst says. "When I met Kate, she was about to give up modeling and she's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful girl and I think this revitalized her dream and made her feel like this is something she can achieve."
Cincinnati Fashion Week events also celebrated Cincinnati."What I love about Cincinnati Fashion Week is that it's not just about fashion," Posey says. "It's also about bringing the community together."
The week began with "Spring into Fashion" on Monday, April 19. Select Cincinnati retailers held on-site promotions. The following day was the "VIP Appreciation Party," a sort of designer meet-and-greet.
April 24 was the final day with the closing of Fashion Week's Spring Cleaning Campaign, a month-long clothing drive for local charities like Dress for Success and Kenzie's Closet.
"It's actually more than that," Hurst says. "it's spreading awareness for underappreciated charities and each year we're going to build on that."
The Spring Cleaning Campaign also included donating 30 percent of Fashion Week's net profit to Keeping Cincinnati Beautiful, a nonprofit that works toward keeping Cincinnati a clean and attractive city.
In addition to the events that more specifically recognized Cincinnati, on April 22 and 23 were two unique fashion shows.
At "Fixed on Fashion" on Thursday, both local and national up-and-coming designers revealed their work while Mitchell's Salon and Day Spa and Pump Salon debuted high-fashion hairstyles.
The high point of the week was Friday's "Fashion Finale," which the event's Web site called a "sneak peak into the future of fashion." Eleven designers showcased their very different collections.
Amy Kirchen recruited the talent for these shows. Kirchen is a designer in her own right and the director of designer outreach for Cincinnati Fashion Week. She recruited talent from across the country and overseas.
With Hurst's help, Kirchen looked for designers who would offer a diverse collection to Fashion Week. Designers who fit the bill were Amy Longo of Glitter Queen Clothing, Ryan Coyne and A.J. Thouvenot of TrashBiscuit, Laura Dawson and David Meister, a Cincinnati native and an international designer known for his sleek and sophisticated designs, which have graced the red carpet on the likes of Fergie and Alicia Keys.
Hurst was going to design a collection for Fashion Week, but he was so busy organizing and planning events that he did not have the time."The presence of fashion designers so close to campus also helps motivate students here to get involved and show them that it is possible to make it in the industry," says senior Nicola Ording, president of the Miami University club of fashion design.
Once the designers had confirmed their participation, Kirchen created what she calls "the fashion bible." The book contained information regarding each designer's previous collections, current collection and their collection for Cincinnati Fashion Week, along with their biography, resume, application and contract.
Kirchen also worked to organize details such as hair and makeup, music selections and shoe selections for the designers.
Because Hurst had never attended a fashion week before, he had no preconceptions about what a fashion week should be. It could be whatever he wanted, and he wanted it to celebrate Cincinnati more than anything.
Ultimately, Cincinnati Fashion Week is about one thing - bringing relevance to Cincinnati through a celebration of fashion. Miami senior Lindsay O'Hara was thrilled to attend the event.
"I am excited to see (Hurst's) line as well as the other designers, but I am also interested in seeing who is in the crowd," O'Hara says.
Hurst says he hopes Cincinnati Fashion Week will grow into a huge, must-see event that attracts visitors from all over.
"(Fashion Week) would give Cincinnati the opportunity to have attention from outside markets and also keep talent in Cincinnati," he says. "A lot of people when they graduate, they leave. But maybe we can create something that's sustainable. They can stay in this great city, and because of that they'll help us expand and develop the city."
Let's try playing that game one more time: Cincinnati? Fashion. Cincinnati Fashion Week? Wow.
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