When you think fashion shows, grand, iconic events like New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week may come to mind. But don't let Columbus' humble nature fool you. The city is bursting with creativity, innovation and edginess on the fashion front. From local runway shows to markets, independent designers are choosing to hone their craft in the third largest fashion city in America.
Introducing a vibrant showcase that not only highlights unique fashion but also tells a powerful story of inclusion and representation—a runway event that transcends traditional fashion boundaries and celebrates the beauty in diversity—Passport 2 Fashion.
What is now viewed as the premier fashion show for up-and-coming designers and a
display of international style and flair started as a simple idea from an Indian immigrant
with deep ties to fashion.
“My family in India had a fashion and retail business back in the '90s,” Passport 2
Fashion founder Aditi Bhatiya says. “We were mostly connected to creatives in the
world of fashion and my parents had a manufacturing unit where we made garments.”
Aditi says she grew up around clothes being constructed and sent out to retailers like
Gap and JC Penney in the '90s. She explains that time in her life remained part of her
identify which she never could shake the draw to the innovation and creative nature of
fashion.
She found herself volunteering with Columbus Fashion Week working with marketing and social media for the massive celebration of style—but it was a small gap in the jam-packed fashion week schedule that caught her attention and got her wheels spinning about a way to highlight something different.
“That first year, we put the show together in I think six days,” Aditi says. “We had a
great turnout—we had a great response and six or seven designers from different ethnic
backgrounds on the same runway.”
That first year, though a trial run of an idea come to life, wasn’t a fluke. The shows continued
year after year, evolving and morphing into something unique to Central Ohio.
“The first Passport 2 Fashion featured different cultures and various countries," Aditi says." [The designers] had different ideas of beauty and what was considered fashionable."
As the event grew, the focus widened, not only featuring the intricate creation of Latino,
African and Asian designers but also exploring and highlighting the diversity of body
forms and types.
“There used to be only one type of body—one type of look that was considered
fashionable, at least here,” Aditi explains. “We started to explore the idea of maybe
doing a fashion show that embraced more than just cultural diversity, one that
celebrated diversity of body types, skin color, ethnicity, gender fluidity, age, that kind of
thing.”
The concept of highlighting muses that may not be seen as the traditional model is one
this non-profit founder says is a mission with a personal connection.
“I’ve struggled with my weight for years,” Aditi says. “I've been everything from a size
four to a size 16 and I have dealt firsthand with what that does to self-esteem with body
image issues, confidence and how you show up every day.”
Not only does Passport 2 Fashion highlight models of various shapes and sizes, it also gives designers a chance to showcase their work on a grand stage. The fees for
designer participation have never exceeded $300 (whereas many designers can find themselves forking over thousands of dollars to showcase their clothing). Aditi explains the organization prides itself on making fashion and the fashion show landscape "very attainable" to anyone wanting to display their creativity.
“Designers have access to professional photo and video just by being part of the show,”
she says. “Photographers and videographers take pictures that are professionally edited
and of high quality and high resolution so designers can use them in their marketing
materials, on their social media or websites.”
Passport 2 Fashion has grown beyond the confines of a gap in Columbus Fashion
Week’s schedule. The show now stands alone, taking place at various locations across
the city with The Vue hosting the August 2024 showcase. In the six years since the first
show, more than 40 designers from across the nation have debuted their creations with
more than 320 models of various sizes, styles, gender identities and backgrounds.
“Every year, we have stories of how either being a model has empowered somebody to
feel good about themselves or how they've gone on to do the things they thought
they couldn't do,” Aditi says. “It's just a very, very positive feeling.”
The seventh Passport 2 Fashion event runway show was hosted at The Vue at Bridge Park in August, marking another successful celebration of diverse storytelling through design.