March 13, 2025 • 39 mins
As a driving force behind Columbus’ growing fashion industry, Yohannan “Yogi” Terrell is shaping the city’s creative future. He joins Boxer and Sarah to talk about his journey as an entrepreneur, the impact of Columbus Fashion Alliance, and the exciting plans for the upcoming Fashion Innovation Hub. From fostering local talent to putting Columbus on the map as a fashion capital, Yogi shares how the city is evolving as a hub for style and innovation.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yes Columbus, an Experienced Columbus podcast keeps you in the
know of what's happening in the art city Columbus. The
number one soccer team, the number three beer city, a
top ten culinary destination with the largest concentration of fashion
professionals in the US. Join us each week with special
guests for an inside look at a destination that invites
(00:23):
visitors and locals alike to explore. By the end of
each episode, you'll be asking yourself, can all of this
really exist in one city? Yes Columbus. Well, hello and
welcome back to another episode of Yes Columbus and Experienced
Columbus Podcast. I'm one of the host Boxer, along with
my co host and really my better half here, oh Sarah,
(00:47):
the chief marketing officer of Experienced Columbus. Sarah, you look
very lovely. Good to have you back.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Thank you, it's great to be here, and thank you
for being my co host. As we're diving into the
next chapter of the Yes Columbus Podcast, where we shine
a spotlight on the innovators, creators, and leaders who make
this city thrive. From entrepreneurs and artists and community change makers,
We're bringing you the stories behind the people shaping Columbus,
(01:12):
so be sure to today tuned. There's so much more
to come, but before we hop into this week's interview,
it's time for our headliner segment, where we highlight a
recent story or accolade about Columbus. Columbus is quickly becoming
a rising star in the sports world, and it's exciting
to see the momentum building. The city has been selected
to host major NCAA events like the twenty twenty seven
(01:34):
Women's Volleyball Finals, the twenty twenty seven Women's Final Four,
and the twenty twenty eight Men's Basketball Tournament, showcasing its
growing prominence as a sports hub. This momentum doesn't stop there.
Events like the Arnold Sports Festival coming to Columbus, the
Columbus Convention Center, and the NHL Stadium series at the
Ohio Stadium are proof that Columbus is a city on
(01:54):
the rise when it comes to major sporting events.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Sarah, I can't think of it. First of all, all
of those things amazing, but how epic is like the
NHL Stadium experience. You have a stadium that's over one
hundred years old, and for the first time ever, it's
going to have a hockey rink in it, NHL hockey.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
It's gonna be amazing, absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I know LODAN has started and the whole community is
excited for this upcoming event. Yeah, but Boxer, it's time
for our behind the Buzz segment. Today, we have an
incredible guest joining us, someone who is at the forefront
of shaping Columbus's fashion scene and arts and culture. Johannan
Yogi Terrell is an award winning marketing professional, entrepreneur and
(02:36):
community leader. As the co founder of the creative agency
Warhol and Wall Street and the founder of Columbus Fashion Alliance,
Yogi is one of the many individuals leading the charge
in making Columbus a world renowned fashion hub. His work
is transforming the way we think about fashion, arts, and
economic development in our city. Yogi, welcome to the Yes
(02:58):
Columbus Podcast.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
To see you, Yogi.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
It's good to see you, sir. Can I it okay?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Can I call you Yogi?
Speaker 4 (03:06):
In course? Okay?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You are such a good man. By the way, I
have so many just wonderful stories, and you're gonna hear
more about those those that are listening. But Yogi, you
know you've had a rich and diverse journey throughout your life.
And I'm excited because I probably don't know half of
what we're about to learn more about you. But to start,
can you walk us through, like your background a little bit,
you know, some of the key moments in your career.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah. Sure.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
You know, I'm from Akron, Ohio, which nobody really knew
too much about until Lebron came around.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
But you know, so now I go around, I tell
people I'm from Akron.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
I'm like, oh, yeah, Lebron, I'm like, yeah, but yeah,
So I grew up in Akron and I actually moved
to Columbus in nineteen ninety five to go to the
Ohio State University.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
You know, shout out to the Bucks.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
And you know, ever since I got to college, I
was so I was shy growing up and so you yeah,
but to kind of help socialize and stuff, I started
to throw events and parties on college campus.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And that's a shocker.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, you know, I loved to have gone to that party.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
That's That's kind of how I started to you know,
create events and experiences and started to build a community.
And you know, I fell in love with Columbus and
I've been here longer than I you know, grew up
an Akron. I've been here since ninety five, and so
that's kind of shaped, you know, my love and passion
for connecting with people, and then you know, creating experiences
(04:39):
and storytelling and kind of building community.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
But yeah, all started with you know, going to college.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's amazing. Can I just add to that, what, what
are some of the driving forces or experiences that I
guess led you to pursue the path that you're on?
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Well, I would I would say, just trying to find
my own path right since I got here. You know,
when I went to school for psychology, I was going
to be a school counselor, but then I found out
how to be a teacher for three years and I
was like, I'm not a teacher.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
But so, you know, trying to find my path.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
I've just tried a few things, and throughout that I realized,
I mean I had my you know, I did the events,
and then I worked in you know radio for a while.
I have my own magazine for a minute, and then
I started you know our agency, you know, uh warholl on.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Wall Street about fourteen years ago.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
But all of those things I really started to learn
that I had a passion for building community, whether it
was around you know, conversation, storytelling experiences.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
I felt like, I have.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
This passion for connecting with people and then connecting people
with each other or to opportunities or just awareness. And
so a lot of the experiences that I've had that
are around that kind of kind of led me to
where I am today. And I think, you know, when
you go through life, those experiences kind of helped shape
who you are, and those are the things that have
(05:56):
shaped kind of who I am.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So was there a particular point or inspiration that sparked
your desire to work in the fashion industry.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Yeah, because so a lot of people they think I've like,
you know, came up in the fashion industry and stuff,
like people who meet me and.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
They're like, oh, how long are you because you're so fashionable.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
And I'm like, well, this's just happening. You know, it
just happened. I'm just a fan of it at the
end of the day.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
So I never really, you know, traditionally, came up, you know,
through the fashion industry. I didn't go to school for
it or anything like that, but I remember I was
on Mayor Coleman you know, at the time, he had
a commission called to create Columbus Commission, and so it
was a group of young professionals that got together to
just talk about how do we make Columbus more attractive
to you know, young professionals to attract and retain talent.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
And that is where I found.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Out that Columbus was the third largest fashion industry in
the country. And so I'm sitting here in this meeting
and I'm looking around. I'm like, hold on, wait, wait, wait,
guys like, what the hell are we talking about, like Columbus,
and they're like, yeah, the third New York, LA and
then Columbus. And so that started this weird obsession with
just trying to figure that out. And that's really how
(07:02):
I came into, you know, being passionate about this industry.
And that kind of sparked that desire, is that I
knew that there was something missing and there was something
good that was around that if we were the third largest,
i mean, behind New York and LA, it was like
how big can it be.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That's where we say, yes, Columbus, yes.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Exactly right, right right, That's exactly that's what it was.
I was like, Columbus, like yes, Columbus. That is that
is the moment that was my yes Columbus moment.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Basic.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh, I love that question for later there you go.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well and Yoki, you know, and eventually that led you
to launch the Columbus Fashion Alliance. But what what did
you have in mind when launching this?
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Well, when I started to you know, I did research
on it for years. So one thing I know is
that when you're gonna come up with an idea, if
you're gonna get the leadership to buy into it, you
gotta you gotta know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
So I spent about two years doing research.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Actually, I did research with alex Tint, which is a
local research firm here.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
I did qualitative studies.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Quantitative all of that, and then I went to the
director of development at the time, Steve Shoney, and I
basically put this plan in front of him. I did
case studies on Indianapolis and Milan and all this stuff,
and I said, you know, what I've discovered is that
we have something culturally in the city that can help
the people because how many people want to work in
fashion right right, Fashion is a big part of our lives.
(08:21):
It also could help the city, right because it's an
industry builder. You're talking about job creation, you're talking about
economic development. But then it also even helps with our brand,
right by owning that, By owning that and investing into it,
then you know, we get recognized for what we really are.
It's not like we're trying to be a fashion city.
We are what And so I saw that, you know,
(08:42):
fashion could help from the individual all the way to
the overarching brand of our city, and so I was like,
I'll take this on.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
I'll take it on.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
That's what happened, so awesome.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Can you for our listeners who may not be as familiar,
just explain to us what Columbus Fashion Alliance is.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
Solms Fashion Alliances a nonprofit and our mission really is
to create positive change for the people in the planet.
It was based off of the fact that Columbus being
the third largest fashion industry, we knew that there was
an opportunity to create you know, workforce development, new futures,
new pathways for young people, and also to bring the
industry together and help the industry you know, innovate. And
(09:22):
so the nonprofit basically creates programming, We create spaces and places,
and we give access to tools and equipment for anybody
who's in the fashion industry and wants to you know,
grow in the fashion industry. So that's pretty much, you know,
why we started the nonprofit, and the nonprofit has been
thriving for since twenty twenty. We started in twenty twenty
(09:43):
and actually our first task was making masks for COVID.
That was our first change. That was how we answered
the charge. At that time was we were launching and
I remember our launch event was supposed to be March.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Nineteenth, and then some was a little bit of a
rough time.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Yeah, somebody called like that Monday and was like, hey,
are you guys still doing that mixer and we're like, nah,
I don't think we're.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Going to do mix it and then the world shut
down for a couple of years.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
So, but that also showed us that fashion could could
help the city because they came to us Can't Stop Columbus.
I remember they came to us and said, hey, we
need masks, and so we gathered a bunch of local
creatives and made seventy thousand masks at the.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Time, I remember that, and they were very fashionable as.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Well, very fat. It was called slave Safe.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Love It right, I love it.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
So Yogi, Columbus is the fashion capital of the Midwest,
and it's the number one metro in the US for
concentration of professionals working in the apparel and fashion industry.
National brands like Abercrombie and Fitch, Victoria's Secret Express, and
DSW are based here. What do you think makes Columbus
such a powerhouse in the fashion industry?
Speaker 5 (10:57):
I mean, that's exactly you know what you said. You
know Columbus, you know Les Wexner, We don't you know,
we don't talk about enough, but less Wesner really created
specialty retail, and so L Brands was kind of like
the mothership of the retail industry. But before him, though,
Columbus has a rich history of fashion in retail. So
you know, we were the largest manufacturer of women's and children's.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Shoes up until the seventies.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
So a lot of the buildings that we see that
our condos now were even an idea founder was a
former shoe factory. And then after that you had, you know,
impact like the Lazarus family and also retail and women's
clothing was manufactured here. So we've always had a history
of fashion. But it really blew up when Less Wesner
launched l brands here, and so Columbus has been like
(11:43):
the mothership for specialty retail. And like you said, we
have so many brands that are headquartered here. You know,
Victoria's Secret, Pink Aberconvie Hollister, dsw Lane, Bryant, Justice Limited
To and then there's other you know, unique brands like
Magnanti Shoes and things like that. But in addition to that,
we also have the biggest logistics hub in the nation
for fashion, So gap Aritzia, Lululemon, Banana Republic, all of
(12:08):
their distribution centers are here. So you just have a
wealth of industry and our ecosystem is really built for that.
So that's how we became this kind of powerhouse and fashion.
And so we have some of the world's best designers here,
some of the world's best fashion executives here. We have
some of the best talent in the world and fashion,
you know, sitting right next to you in a restaurant.
And so it's about time people know that.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So impressive and you're right, Yogi, Location, location, location, and
Columbus has that when it comes to the industry as
a whole, how do you think it's evolved in the
past decade.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Yeah, the industry is actually, you know, the fashion industry
is evolving a lot lately, and a lot of the
conversation around fashion is around sustainability. Like a lot of
the things we talk about right now is you know,
I remember back when I was a kid like you,
you went shopping like twice a year you went you
remember that, like beginning of school year, back to school,
(12:59):
and then after winter you came back with some new
snach yes, yea right, And so now you know, there's
these moments people are always pushing to buy this now,
by this, now, by this now.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Which has created a ton of waste. And so I
bring that up.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Because as the industry is evolving, and you know, we're
looking at you know, even with tariffs and things like that,
we're looking at bringing manufacturing back. Columbus actually is the
most well positioned city to lead in this area.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
So sustainability.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
With this logistics hub that we have, we have a
good opportunity to create like repair centers here. And then
also on the manufacturing side, we're looking at bringing small
batch and advanced manufacturing to Columbus and.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Those are our job creators.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
But then they also help the retailers and entrepreneurs at
the same time. So what we're looking at from an
economic development standpoint is what are ways that Columbus could
lead in that space, And that kind of leads into
our mission statement is that you know, our mission is
to create positive change for the people in the planet,
and we believe that Columbus is not going to be
(14:01):
the face of fashion like New York and LA but
we think Columbus can be the heart of fashion, be
a city that kind of carves its own path in
the industry and does right by the people and finds
ways to make you more sustainable industry.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yogi, you said that the education and exposure are I
guess key to your passion for impacting the community. But
how does that philosophy drive your work in fashion and branding?
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Education and exposure, I think exposure is everything. You know.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
I come from a really small neighborhood at Akron, Ohio.
A lot of my friends we weren't exposed to much,
and so the only opportunities I saw were sports, you know,
entertainment or running the streets if I wasn't going to college.
And I think me coming to Columbus and going to college,
which I had. Actually, I had a mentor that was
(14:50):
that worked with me when I was in high school
through Children's Services, and she filled out my college application
for me and paid for my college application.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
That's how I got into college, if not out of
it in the streets.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
And so when I got to college, it really changed
my perspective on life because I was exposed to so
much and I said, oh my, oh, my goodness, like
there's so much for me to do here. And so
I think exposure is huge, and that's why I think
fashion is that other thing that we can share with
our young people here in the city, with our people
who want to live in a creative space and find
a passion for themselves in that area. So exposure is everything,
(15:23):
you know, the more we can show. And then also education,
you know, you should never stop learning. Columbus is you know,
one of our top five industries is education along with fashion,
and so I think this is a great place to learn.
There's so many great educational institutions here. I think education
and exposure are just one of the two vital things
for you to you know, grow as a person and
(15:44):
as a city too as well. And to add to
that just to give you guys a kind of sneak
peak of what's going on. We're working with Columbus City
Schools right now. They're actually on our board, and we're
going to open up the first fashion Academy in the
twenty twenty six twenty seven years.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
For high school students, high school sudents.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, great opportunity, Super excited about it.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
It's coming soon.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Well, so your work with the Columbus Fashion Alliance is
bringing even more energy to the local fashion scene. You
just talked a little bit about some of your work
with Columbus City Schools and education and exposure, which are
are central to the mission of Columbus Fashion Alliance. But
can you share some insights on what else the CFA
is currently working on.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
Yeah, so, I mean I was, I was one of them.
The education piece is really big again. Workforce development is
what I touched on when it comes to the you know,
advanced manufacturing, so where you know, one of the things
we realize is that Columbus is being chosen by fashion
industry organizations all the time.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
I just heard.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
From I just heard from Kenny McDonald, which is you know,
he's over our one Columbus to Economic Development Organization, and
companies are calling and asking about relocating to Columbus just
because when they do their research, it shows Columbus is
the best place to move a fashion based business. And
so we see as a city we can answer that
(17:04):
by training the workforce to be ready. So when these
companies come here, we have a skilled workforce that's ready
for it. So we're like partnering with Franklin County Office
of DEI, we're also partnering with the City of Columbus
to do workforce training programs. So that's a big thing
that we're doing this year. But then also on the
other side entrepreneurship, there are so many people here that
want to start brands, and we realize there's an opportunity
(17:26):
to take emerging talent and match that talent with the
experience that's here in Columbus.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So when you think.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
About this decades, if people have been moving to Columbus
to work in the fashion industry, but then when they
leave the fashion industry, they stay here.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
People love the city, right, so they stay here. So
you have a wealth of people who have so.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
Much knowledge on marketing and merchandising and development and product
development just sitting you know, they're waiting for opportunities. So
we're pairing entrepreneurs with those experienced fashion leaders to create
the next brands of the future. So we created a
program called Launch Lab and it's a ten week program
that helps entrepreneurs learn everything about the business. We take
(18:04):
them to trade shows, we introduce them to the experts here,
and then we kind of create these mentorship teams around them.
So that's a big thing that we're doing on the
entrepreneurship side too as well. So working with youth, you know,
working on workforce development, working on entrepreneurship.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Hey, yogi, what about this CFA Innovation Lab. It's not
open yet, right, It's it's set to open later this
and I'll let you describe it better. But it's basically
a space designed to house designers, labs and foster collaboration.
But you want to help transform downtown into what a
(18:40):
fashion district? Is that kind of the inspiration or the vision?
Speaker 5 (18:43):
Yeah, So, you know, when we were doing our research,
one of the early things that we realized was there
was no place for the industry to converge. You know,
you have all of these big, huge retailers here, but
they're all on the outskirts of the right, right right,
and so there.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Was no play.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
You know, you have CCAD which has a fashion program,
you have OSU which has a fashion program, but if
you're not enroll in the schools, you know, how do
you connect to that and how do you connect to
the industry. So when we did our research, one of
the first top priorities that was discovered through that was
build a hub, Build a place where you know, emerging
youth experts can all kind of converge together and see
(19:21):
what happens.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
And you know, it's funny.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Actually, in a conversation I had with one of the
staff and experienced Columbus was another reason behind us. I
was talking to one of the staff and we had
when you guys had one of your events here, yes,
And they were like, hey, we really want to support
you know, telling the story about fashion, but like where.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Where can people experience it?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Where can people experience it right?
Speaker 5 (19:42):
And so we knew that building a space where people
could experience the fashion industry be able to get a
good experience with all of it, right from the innovation
to the making to the events. So this is another
inspiration for us to kind of build this hub. So
we're very, very excited about it.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So how do you see this space sh the future
of fashion and Columbus.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Yeah, I think it's going to be a game changer,
to be honest with you, I think one is going to,
like Sarah said, it's going to give us a place
to say, here is the fashion experience. And the way
we're going to design the space is so that you
can learn about the history of Columbus and the fashion industry.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
While you're there.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
So the physical build of the space will be an
experience within itself because we don't have a fashion museum
here to tell our history, you know, but we have archived,
you know, vintage pieces from Abercami from the seventies, you know,
so well, you know, pieces that we're going to be
you know, showcasing that kind of tell the overall story
of it. It's going to have a cafe, it's going
(20:36):
to have all these other things. So it's going to
really be a place where you can learn, you can make,
and you can innovate in a fashion industry. And it's
in a Discovery district. So we're buying the building from
CCAD itself, so we're right in between CCAD and Columbus State.
So we talk about the connection and workforce development and
connection to the creative class. It's going to be that
extra you know, connection piece in a discovery district where
(20:59):
the community can come in and then there's gonna be
pathways and pipelining and all that type of stuff happening
right now.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
So that's what it's going to do.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
So, Yogi, you mentioned it's coming soon. Can you give
us an inside look at what the public can expect
to see in the experience and kind of the maybe
general timing of when that will be open.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
To the public.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Yes, yes, So we have some exciting announcements we're going
to make this year, so we'll have the building will
be purchased this year right actually very soon.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Actually you'll be hearing about that very soon.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
And as soon as we, you know, purchase the building,
there's gonna be some activations and announcements that's coming from it.
But one of the things that I'm really excited to
talk to you guys about, and there's not too many
people to notice, so you're kind of.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Getting the.
Speaker 5 (21:41):
Boxer is there today, is that there's also two other
nonprofits that are adjacent to the building, So there's block
for it, which is an art incubator right run by
Adam Broulette and his team, and it's been you know,
doing amazing work for years. They have the Alley Islands,
huge mural project that goes through the the Alley Lay
Alley right behind the building.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
But then also.
Speaker 5 (22:03):
Moving next door to us is a food incubator. So
if you've ever heard of Service Cafe, yeah, right, Service Cafe,
they are opening up a food incubator right next door.
So literally all on one block, you're going to have
the kind of cultural hub for incubating the future culture
of Columbus, whether that's food, fashion, and art all on
one block. So we've been working together as like a
(22:25):
community of creatives to say, how can we you know,
build out this block to where it is that home
for creatives to come to and feel like they can
connect with each other and doing some other stuff. So
there'll be more to come out of that. You'll build
to see some stuff soon. But this year there's gonna
be a lot of exciting announcements. Starting with the building
that we're opening up is called the Loom, so like
(22:46):
you know the actual loom, the weaving and the loom
is going to be you know, bringing things together, right, fashion, retail,
culture and innovation together, so the loom and then block
for it, and then this food incubator will be make
as big announcements this year.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
So exciting, I know, Yogi with this big moment that's
going to happen. It might be too early to ask this,
but someone that's listening to the podcast, is there a
way that someone could get involved if they're wanting to
get involved at this point?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 5 (23:14):
Actually, so this year where we're launching a new membership platform,
it's very easy, I say, if you want to get
involved in fashion, then become a member. It's very easy
to become a member, and you'll get connected with other
people in the industry from executives to entrepreneurs to creatives.
And then once we buy the building, because we already
have our own space right now, so we have about
(23:34):
five thousand square feet of maker space right now that
has equipment, tools, resources, computers and all that stuff. So
we're still doing that. But if someone wants to get
involved in this next phase of the initiative, they can
go to our website Columbusfashion dot org. They can become
a member, they can start getting information and updates on
what's happening, or you can follow us Columbus Fashion Alliance
(23:55):
on our social media pages LinkedIn Instagram is probably the best.
But we're rolling out, you know, content announcements, new programming
all the time, and so I think right now is
the right time to get involved because it's gonna start
moving even faster once we get this, you know, next
phase up and running.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I love your passion and I'm so glad you care
so much about this, Yogi. What kind of opportunities do
you envision this will create for local designers and entrepreneurs.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
It's gonna give them a space, right, So access is
really the big key thing.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
We see a lot of people want to do something,
but how do they gain access to it? So we're
gonna have all types of new equipment in a new space.
We're gonna have printers, sewing machines, screen printers, director garment printers,
embroidery machines, huge innovation, huge innovation. Yeah, we're gonna have
an innovation lab. We just got done meeting with Adidas.
We're gonna actually be creating a shoe lab.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
So I love some of the customizable Adidas shoes yes, Yes,
really cool collab that they've done.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
They've done some really cool stuff and we just got
to actually tour their headquarters in Portland. Yeah, I met
with their team and they're very excited. And that's what's
also really dope about this is because the fact that
we're using fashion for good really helps a lot of
conversations that we're having with the big brands because you know,
of course we can say, hey, we just want to
be cool and sexy and all that stuff, but like,
(25:20):
we're actually using it for good.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
So a lot of brands like you know, Gap and like.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Adidas and Macy's, they're all being very responsive to what
we're doing. So you're going to see some bigger brands
be involved with this as well.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
You're helping their workforce getting out that line of talent
right here in Columbus.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That is amazing exactly.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
I think that's great.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
You know, we talked a little bit about someone that
you know, has just wanted to come up in the
ranks as a designer. But when it comes to I
guess when you see the future here on I guess
the fashion scene. I guess what's something that people should
be checking out here in Columbus.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
I think if you're looking right now for tapping into
the fashion industry in Columbus right now, I say the
best place to look is probably Short North. One of
the things that and you know, I didn't appreciate this
as much until I started traveling more. Because of the
work I do on strategy and consulting, I travel a
lot more, which is which is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
But you don't realize how much unique independent retail Columbus
has until you've gone to other cities and see that
they don't have that. And I think we take that
for advantage, you know, when we live here. But Columbus
has some of the most unique independent retail when it
comes to the fashion scene. So a short walk through
Short North will show you, you know, places like Artists
(26:35):
in Deluxe, Ladybird, Row, Boutique, Fairrah, Soul Classics, Ransom Supply,
like there's so many stores that have unique, one of
the kind pieces local designers as well. So I think
if you want to really experience what Columbus is creating,
especially like emerging, you need to check out those places.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
Come down to Short North.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
And then as we grow this industry and you know,
we grow our space, We're going to eventually have a
district for fashion coming real soon.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
So you know, this is just a start.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
So I say, if you're coming right now, Short North,
there's other places like east and obviously we have one
of the largest shopping shops in the country. It's like
a shopping village you can't miss, you know, going to
places like Easton, and then there's other places place like Pilaires,
but independent retail, vintage actually go to Clintonville, Yes, a
huge vintage scene that a lot of people don't talk about,
flower Child, which is.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
On Fifth Avenue. Yeah, Fifth Avenue, yep, flower Child.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
But then also in Clintonville there's a huge collection of
like younger emerging vintage stores also with your more established
you know, venture stores. I've been here for a while,
so we have a few scenes to check out, Yes,
we do.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
So, Yogi, what kinds of opportunities do you think the
fashion hub is going to create for local designers and entrepreneurs.
Is the goal to kind of give them that opportunity
to potentially move into an inline space in the Short
North or in one of our other vibrant neighborhoods.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
So you know, so our whole goal is the this
this launch lab that we have is more like a
fashion brand incubator, and so our goal is to help
brands get up and running and get established. We have
our own retail space called Gallery in the Short North
and so that is where we allow for emerging brands
to try their you know, their clothing and their collections
out in the market for the first time. And then
(28:20):
that helps them kind of get a good understanding of,
you know, how their stuff is doing. But then after that,
if they're ready to expand we are partnering with like
the Short North, We're partnering with Downtown Columbus Incorporated. We're
partnering in place like Easton and and other you know
institutions to help them find their own retail spaces so
that we can have even more unique and dependent retail
so you will see the flow of you know, businesses
(28:41):
and brands. There's a ground floor Growth program that you know,
Nick Bankston, council member Nick Bankston is running here. What
it helps emerging entrepreneurs get their own space in downtown.
So we're partnering with them as well. So our products
in our programs right now help brands get established and
then we help them kind of move on to their.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Next That is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
And then you said it it is a great time
to be in fashion in Columbus, and you also mentioned
that fashion is going to be a big economic driver.
Can you talk a little bit more about that.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Yeah, I mean, right now, Columbus is one of the
top five industries in the country. I think Columbus's top
five industries are government because we're the state capital, healthcare, insurance, education,
and fashion. So it's already one of our top five industries.
But by creating an incubator and pathways for the next generation,
then we're going to keep that industry here but also
(29:35):
grow it. Right, So what is the next Express? What
is the next pink? What is the next you know
brand that's going to come out of here? And since
the industry is you know, changing, there's a lot more online,
we have this great opportunity to launch a lot of
new brands that are you know, having global impact at
a smaller footprint tune as well, so you know, it's
our Here's the thing about fashion, Arts and culture has
(29:57):
already been established. If you look at the research, arts
and culture sure are a direct input into a city's
economic growth. This is the reason why places like New
York and LA have grown is not because of just
you know, development and you know in business, it's because
of the culture. And so the more that we invest
in the culture of Columbus's going to help our city
(30:18):
grow economically. So that's why we're you know, pushing for
what we're doing, because we know that fashion already has
a direct economic impact, but it can have so much
more if we bet on us, if we invest into
the culture even more.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Absolutely, I was just going to say, and you know,
you absolutely have to activate the spaces that we have.
So we have amazing spaces, amazing neighborhoods. Activating those spaces
and arts, culture and fashion play right into.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
That, right right. You gotta give it to the people, man,
Let the people have fun.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Give them another reason to come into those season exactly.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, I'm sorry, I was just gonna say, Yogi, you
need to write a how to book if you haven't already.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
There's spare time time.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
So I mean, but on that, I mean, you've created
this career with the intersection of creativity, You've built this
up marketing of course, community impact. But what would you
say is the biggest lesson, Yogi, that you've learned along
the way, what sticks out for you.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Yeah, I will say that the biggest lesson I've learned
is to believe in myself growing up from Akron, growing
up in a community where there were only a few
opportunities and people didn't see I didn't even see myself
going too far in life. I just thought the next
hustle was my way to get my next meal at
the end of the day, and even follow me to
(31:34):
Columbus when I first got here. You know, it was
the hustle was how we thought about it. Everything was
about the hustle. But hustle was short term thinking, and
so I had to start really believing in myself to
push myself forward. And all of the work that I've
done has helped me one believing myself but also help
me remember that I can do hard things. You know,
sometimes we get afraid of our potential and we you know,
(31:59):
we might have a big idea, we might want to
push further, but because of that fear, we say, no,
I'm just gonna I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
You know, that's for somebody else. I can't do that
and I'm learning to say, you know, forget that, like,
you know, I can do hard things. I actually got
a tattooed on my arm this year, oh this past year,
in twenty twenty four, I got on my arm you
can will you have can and we'll do hard things.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah. Yeah. Whenever I'm like, bro, what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
You just look right down.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
But I leave that meeting and it's like that was
a tough meeting and I'm like, you know, and then
you start to thinking, man, what am I doing? Like
I'm trying to do the most, and I'm like, okay,
all right, I can do it.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I can do it. That's what I've learned. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
I think this is good.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I think this could be part of your next keynote
talk that you give around the country and then at
the end you can have everybody do that tattooo.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Yeah there you go, just remember everybody. Yeah right, yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
So, Yogi, your favorite quote, and I don't know if
I knew this previously, is be useful, unique and updated.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
How do you apply that mindset to your work?
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Yeah? I think you know.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
I remember seeing this quote like years ago, like years
years ago, and I've it's always in the bottom of
my emails, is in my email signature too as well.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
But I believe if you live.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
By these three things, you will have a fulfilling life.
And so be useful, right, you know, I think being
useful is pretty much self explanatory. Like when you're in
a room, you know, have something to add to it,
have some value to add, or find what value you
bring to the community, to your job, to your business.
Just be useful, right, and then be unique, you know,
(33:36):
be yourself. I think individualism is really expounded in today's
you know day and age, right, I mean with social media, globalization,
Like everybody's trying to be unique in their own sense.
But like, find out what's really you, what's really in
your spirit, and hold on to that and don't be
afraid to be yourself, and then to be updated. I
(33:57):
think often we make decisions based on old things and
things that we've learned from the past, but you know,
times changed, and I think generation and generation we show
each other. Like if I'm talking to my daughter, who
my daughter's nineteen now, she lives a totally different life
than I do, and so when I'm trying to tell
her life lesson, she's looking at me like that, shut.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Up because my.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
World is not her world, right, So I try to
stay updated. I think, you know, never never stop learning.
So being usedful, unique and updated, I feel like you
always could have some impact and always you know, have
some some purpose and utility.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
In the room.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Absolutely, and I love that never stop learning so so important,
Yogi for a designer or anyone that's in creative when
it comes to the fashion industry, what advice would you
give them if they're trying to break in.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
So we have a lot of people come to us
all the time to say, I've always had this idea
of starting my own brand. I've always had my idea
start my own clothing company. But they never launch. And
so my first piece of advice to them it just
just started, just literally just started to do. Just do
it is so you know, so Nike, but it's so
it makes sense and you.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
You really.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
You really never stop stop learning. And so I tell
people all the time, just launch it, because the only
way you're gonna learn is by putting it out there.
So become a student of the game while you launch it.
And you could do it on your own time, doing
it on your own accord, But just launch it.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
Just hit go.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
I tell people, just hit go and figure out everything else.
I mean, you know, I'm not into commercial real estate,
but you know, we're buying a building.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
I've never done that, but I've learned it, figured it out.
I'm figuring it out the hard way.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
It's all good.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
But you know, I know more about commercial development than
I ever did before.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
So maybe more than you ever wanted to know.
Speaker 5 (35:48):
Maybe more than I ever wanted to write, right, But
at least I hit go and I said we're gonna
do it. And I think for most people that's what
I try to, you know, let them know, is that
you have greatness on the other side of that fear
of starting. So just get over that fear, because most
of time the fear is in our head is way
bigger than the actual experience.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
So face to fear, hit go, find out what happens.
So inspiring.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
It really is really really inspiring.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
So, Yogi, what are your favorite spots to shop in Columbus?
I think you may be named a few in the
short North, but any others that our listeners should be
aware of.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
Let me see. I did mention them.
Speaker 5 (36:22):
Soul Classics one of my favorite spots. Gallery by CFA.
It's also one of my favorite spots just because it's
all local, you know, local designers. I think being so
close to the fashion industry I've become I'm not as
attracted to just buying brands for the sake of brands anymore.
I like buying unique pieces or something that has a
story to tell. So I love places that have unique
(36:44):
pieces and police pieces that are from local designers. So
you know, like I said, for me, Soul Classics Gallery,
Ransom Supply, which is a local brand.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
You know they're Ryan Ransom runs that shout out to Ryan.
Speaker 5 (36:58):
He has always has a good story that he is
telling as he releases collections.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
But then for others too, I love.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
I love artists and deluxe when it comes like denim,
and it's also fair like if you haven't been a fair,
fair has some really really dope pieces and it's just
your non traditional stuff, but it's also quality as quality
is made has made really well. And then every now
and then I'll stop at the local life flea markets.
There's all types of fleet markets that happen in Columbus
two where you'll find uh, you know, previously loved piece
(37:26):
and then I upcycle a lot too. So there's a
brand La that's doing a lot of upcycling right now,
and Honor shout out to Honest.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
She just launched really really dope stuff.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
And I think that is really what we're trying to
lean more into is taking pieces that were already you know, made,
editing them, adding some stuff to it that kind of
personalizes it, and then now you have a one of one.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's kind of like what I like nowday.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
You name dropped some of those because I was gonna
ask about brands and designers that we should be following,
So like which one some of those you just named
which one specifically?
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Yeah, definitely Ransom Supply and you'll follow Ransom Supply. There's
a brand called Creamy Studios. Homies called Creamy Studios.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
They do a lot of.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
Airbrushing and unique par on fashion and it's being seen
on a lot of celebrities and famous people.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
They were just had a couple of big trade shows.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
You got Maid and Co. Which is a homie Reese.
He's doing some really big stuff. He just did a
big collection with Short North and you know, and that's
what you want. You want the local creatives partnering with
our local communities to create pieces, and that whole piece
went really really well. There's a girl named Goldie. She
has her own jewelry line I just launched and it's
been doing really really well in Columbus. So women, if
(38:33):
you're looking for some really you know, unique dope jewelry,
check out Goldie.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
All Right, well, Yogi, thank you so much for joining
us today and this conversation has been truly inspiring. If
you want to keep up with Yogi's incredible work in
the community and stay connected with the Columbus Fashion Alliance
and the Fashion Innovation Hub, just visit Columbus Fashion dot org.
And hey, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to
hit subscribe, leave, or review and share it with a friend.
(38:59):
And even more ways to explore Columbus just go to
Experiencecolumbus dot com. Until next time, keep saying Yes Columbus.
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Yes Columbus
and Experienced Columbus podcast. Tune in next week as we
take you on a tour of what's new, what's hot,
and what makes Columbus a city on the rise.
Yes Columbus, an Experienced Columbus podcast keeps you in the
know of what's happening in the art city Columbus. The
number one soccer team, the number three beer city, a
top ten culinary destination with the largest concentration of fashion
professionals in the US. Join us each week with special
guests for an inside look at a destination that invites
(00:23):
visitors and locals alike to explore. By the end of
each episode, you'll be asking yourself, can all of this
really exist in one city? Yes Columbus. Well, hello and
welcome back to another episode of Yes Columbus and Experienced
Columbus Podcast. I'm one of the host Boxer, along with
my co host and really my better half here, oh Sarah,
(00:47):
the chief marketing officer of Experienced Columbus. Sarah, you look
very lovely. Good to have you back.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Thank you, it's great to be here, and thank you
for being my co host. As we're diving into the
next chapter of the Yes Columbus Podcast, where we shine
a spotlight on the innovators, creators, and leaders who make
this city thrive. From entrepreneurs and artists and community change makers,
We're bringing you the stories behind the people shaping Columbus,
(01:12):
so be sure to today tuned. There's so much more
to come, but before we hop into this week's interview,
it's time for our headliner segment, where we highlight a
recent story or accolade about Columbus. Columbus is quickly becoming
a rising star in the sports world, and it's exciting
to see the momentum building. The city has been selected
to host major NCAA events like the twenty twenty seven
(01:34):
Women's Volleyball Finals, the twenty twenty seven Women's Final Four,
and the twenty twenty eight Men's Basketball Tournament, showcasing its
growing prominence as a sports hub. This momentum doesn't stop there.
Events like the Arnold Sports Festival coming to Columbus, the
Columbus Convention Center, and the NHL Stadium series at the
Ohio Stadium are proof that Columbus is a city on
(01:54):
the rise when it comes to major sporting events.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Sarah, I can't think of it. First of all, all
of those things amazing, but how epic is like the
NHL Stadium experience. You have a stadium that's over one
hundred years old, and for the first time ever, it's
going to have a hockey rink in it, NHL hockey.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
It's gonna be amazing, absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I know LODAN has started and the whole community is
excited for this upcoming event. Yeah, but Boxer, it's time
for our behind the Buzz segment. Today, we have an
incredible guest joining us, someone who is at the forefront
of shaping Columbus's fashion scene and arts and culture. Johannan
Yogi Terrell is an award winning marketing professional, entrepreneur and
(02:36):
community leader. As the co founder of the creative agency
Warhol and Wall Street and the founder of Columbus Fashion Alliance,
Yogi is one of the many individuals leading the charge
in making Columbus a world renowned fashion hub. His work
is transforming the way we think about fashion, arts, and
economic development in our city. Yogi, welcome to the Yes
(02:58):
Columbus Podcast.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
To see you, Yogi.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
It's good to see you, sir. Can I it okay?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Can I call you Yogi?
Speaker 4 (03:06):
In course? Okay?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You are such a good man. By the way, I
have so many just wonderful stories, and you're gonna hear
more about those those that are listening. But Yogi, you
know you've had a rich and diverse journey throughout your life.
And I'm excited because I probably don't know half of
what we're about to learn more about you. But to start,
can you walk us through, like your background a little bit,
you know, some of the key moments in your career.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah. Sure.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
You know, I'm from Akron, Ohio, which nobody really knew
too much about until Lebron came around.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
But you know, so now I go around, I tell
people I'm from Akron.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
I'm like, oh, yeah, Lebron, I'm like, yeah, but yeah,
So I grew up in Akron and I actually moved
to Columbus in nineteen ninety five to go to the
Ohio State University.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
You know, shout out to the Bucks.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
And you know, ever since I got to college, I
was so I was shy growing up and so you yeah,
but to kind of help socialize and stuff, I started
to throw events and parties on college campus.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And that's a shocker.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Yeah, you know, I loved to have gone to that party.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
That's That's kind of how I started to you know,
create events and experiences and started to build a community.
And you know, I fell in love with Columbus and
I've been here longer than I you know, grew up
an Akron. I've been here since ninety five, and so
that's kind of shaped, you know, my love and passion
for connecting with people, and then you know, creating experiences
(04:39):
and storytelling and kind of building community.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
But yeah, all started with you know, going to college.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's amazing. Can I just add to that, what, what
are some of the driving forces or experiences that I
guess led you to pursue the path that you're on?
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Well, I would I would say, just trying to find
my own path right since I got here. You know,
when I went to school for psychology, I was going
to be a school counselor, but then I found out
how to be a teacher for three years and I
was like, I'm not a teacher.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
But so, you know, trying to find my path.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
I've just tried a few things, and throughout that I realized,
I mean I had my you know, I did the events,
and then I worked in you know radio for a while.
I have my own magazine for a minute, and then
I started you know our agency, you know, uh warholl on.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Wall Street about fourteen years ago.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
But all of those things I really started to learn
that I had a passion for building community, whether it
was around you know, conversation, storytelling experiences.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
I felt like, I have.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
This passion for connecting with people and then connecting people
with each other or to opportunities or just awareness. And
so a lot of the experiences that I've had that
are around that kind of kind of led me to
where I am today. And I think, you know, when
you go through life, those experiences kind of helped shape
who you are, and those are the things that have
(05:56):
shaped kind of who I am.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So was there a particular point or inspiration that sparked
your desire to work in the fashion industry.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Yeah, because so a lot of people they think I've like,
you know, came up in the fashion industry and stuff,
like people who meet me and.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
They're like, oh, how long are you because you're so fashionable.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
And I'm like, well, this's just happening. You know, it
just happened. I'm just a fan of it at the
end of the day.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
So I never really, you know, traditionally, came up, you know,
through the fashion industry. I didn't go to school for
it or anything like that, but I remember I was
on Mayor Coleman you know, at the time, he had
a commission called to create Columbus Commission, and so it
was a group of young professionals that got together to
just talk about how do we make Columbus more attractive
to you know, young professionals to attract and retain talent.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
And that is where I found.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Out that Columbus was the third largest fashion industry in
the country. And so I'm sitting here in this meeting
and I'm looking around. I'm like, hold on, wait, wait, wait,
guys like, what the hell are we talking about, like Columbus,
and they're like, yeah, the third New York, LA and
then Columbus. And so that started this weird obsession with
just trying to figure that out. And that's really how
(07:02):
I came into, you know, being passionate about this industry.
And that kind of sparked that desire, is that I
knew that there was something missing and there was something
good that was around that if we were the third largest,
i mean, behind New York and LA, it was like
how big can it be.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That's where we say, yes, Columbus, yes.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Exactly right, right right, That's exactly that's what it was.
I was like, Columbus, like yes, Columbus. That is that
is the moment that was my yes Columbus moment.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Basic.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh, I love that question for later there you go.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well and Yoki, you know, and eventually that led you
to launch the Columbus Fashion Alliance. But what what did
you have in mind when launching this?
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Well, when I started to you know, I did research
on it for years. So one thing I know is
that when you're gonna come up with an idea, if
you're gonna get the leadership to buy into it, you
gotta you gotta know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
So I spent about two years doing research.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Actually, I did research with alex Tint, which is a
local research firm here.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
I did qualitative studies.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Quantitative all of that, and then I went to the
director of development at the time, Steve Shoney, and I
basically put this plan in front of him. I did
case studies on Indianapolis and Milan and all this stuff,
and I said, you know, what I've discovered is that
we have something culturally in the city that can help
the people because how many people want to work in
fashion right right, Fashion is a big part of our lives.
(08:21):
It also could help the city, right because it's an
industry builder. You're talking about job creation, you're talking about
economic development. But then it also even helps with our brand,
right by owning that, By owning that and investing into it,
then you know, we get recognized for what we really are.
It's not like we're trying to be a fashion city.
We are what And so I saw that, you know,
(08:42):
fashion could help from the individual all the way to
the overarching brand of our city, and so I was like,
I'll take this on.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
I'll take it on.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
That's what happened, so awesome.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Can you for our listeners who may not be as familiar,
just explain to us what Columbus Fashion Alliance is.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
Solms Fashion Alliances a nonprofit and our mission really is
to create positive change for the people in the planet.
It was based off of the fact that Columbus being
the third largest fashion industry, we knew that there was
an opportunity to create you know, workforce development, new futures,
new pathways for young people, and also to bring the
industry together and help the industry you know, innovate. And
(09:22):
so the nonprofit basically creates programming, We create spaces and places,
and we give access to tools and equipment for anybody
who's in the fashion industry and wants to you know,
grow in the fashion industry. So that's pretty much, you know,
why we started the nonprofit, and the nonprofit has been
thriving for since twenty twenty. We started in twenty twenty
(09:43):
and actually our first task was making masks for COVID.
That was our first change. That was how we answered
the charge. At that time was we were launching and
I remember our launch event was supposed to be March.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Nineteenth, and then some was a little bit of a
rough time.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Yeah, somebody called like that Monday and was like, hey,
are you guys still doing that mixer and we're like, nah,
I don't think we're.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Going to do mix it and then the world shut
down for a couple of years.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
So, but that also showed us that fashion could could
help the city because they came to us Can't Stop Columbus.
I remember they came to us and said, hey, we
need masks, and so we gathered a bunch of local
creatives and made seventy thousand masks at the.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Time, I remember that, and they were very fashionable as.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Well, very fat. It was called slave Safe.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Love It right, I love it.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
So Yogi, Columbus is the fashion capital of the Midwest,
and it's the number one metro in the US for
concentration of professionals working in the apparel and fashion industry.
National brands like Abercrombie and Fitch, Victoria's Secret Express, and
DSW are based here. What do you think makes Columbus
such a powerhouse in the fashion industry?
Speaker 5 (10:57):
I mean, that's exactly you know what you said. You
know Columbus, you know Les Wexner, We don't you know,
we don't talk about enough, but less Wesner really created
specialty retail, and so L Brands was kind of like
the mothership of the retail industry. But before him, though,
Columbus has a rich history of fashion in retail. So
you know, we were the largest manufacturer of women's and children's.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Shoes up until the seventies.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
So a lot of the buildings that we see that
our condos now were even an idea founder was a
former shoe factory. And then after that you had, you know,
impact like the Lazarus family and also retail and women's
clothing was manufactured here. So we've always had a history
of fashion. But it really blew up when Less Wesner
launched l brands here, and so Columbus has been like
(11:43):
the mothership for specialty retail. And like you said, we
have so many brands that are headquartered here. You know,
Victoria's Secret, Pink Aberconvie Hollister, dsw Lane, Bryant, Justice Limited
To and then there's other you know, unique brands like
Magnanti Shoes and things like that. But in addition to that,
we also have the biggest logistics hub in the nation
for fashion, So gap Aritzia, Lululemon, Banana Republic, all of
(12:08):
their distribution centers are here. So you just have a
wealth of industry and our ecosystem is really built for that.
So that's how we became this kind of powerhouse and fashion.
And so we have some of the world's best designers here,
some of the world's best fashion executives here. We have
some of the best talent in the world and fashion,
you know, sitting right next to you in a restaurant.
And so it's about time people know that.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So impressive and you're right, Yogi, Location, location, location, and
Columbus has that when it comes to the industry as
a whole, how do you think it's evolved in the
past decade.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Yeah, the industry is actually, you know, the fashion industry
is evolving a lot lately, and a lot of the
conversation around fashion is around sustainability. Like a lot of
the things we talk about right now is you know,
I remember back when I was a kid like you,
you went shopping like twice a year you went you
remember that, like beginning of school year, back to school,
(12:59):
and then after winter you came back with some new
snach yes, yea right, And so now you know, there's
these moments people are always pushing to buy this now,
by this, now, by this now.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Which has created a ton of waste. And so I
bring that up.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Because as the industry is evolving, and you know, we're
looking at you know, even with tariffs and things like that,
we're looking at bringing manufacturing back. Columbus actually is the
most well positioned city to lead in this area.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
So sustainability.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
With this logistics hub that we have, we have a
good opportunity to create like repair centers here. And then
also on the manufacturing side, we're looking at bringing small
batch and advanced manufacturing to Columbus and.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Those are our job creators.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
But then they also help the retailers and entrepreneurs at
the same time. So what we're looking at from an
economic development standpoint is what are ways that Columbus could
lead in that space, And that kind of leads into
our mission statement is that you know, our mission is
to create positive change for the people in the planet,
and we believe that Columbus is not going to be
(14:01):
the face of fashion like New York and LA but
we think Columbus can be the heart of fashion, be
a city that kind of carves its own path in
the industry and does right by the people and finds
ways to make you more sustainable industry.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yogi, you said that the education and exposure are I
guess key to your passion for impacting the community. But
how does that philosophy drive your work in fashion and branding?
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Education and exposure, I think exposure is everything. You know.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
I come from a really small neighborhood at Akron, Ohio.
A lot of my friends we weren't exposed to much,
and so the only opportunities I saw were sports, you know,
entertainment or running the streets if I wasn't going to college.
And I think me coming to Columbus and going to college,
which I had. Actually, I had a mentor that was
(14:50):
that worked with me when I was in high school
through Children's Services, and she filled out my college application
for me and paid for my college application.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
That's how I got into college, if not out of
it in the streets.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
And so when I got to college, it really changed
my perspective on life because I was exposed to so
much and I said, oh my, oh, my goodness, like
there's so much for me to do here. And so
I think exposure is huge, and that's why I think
fashion is that other thing that we can share with
our young people here in the city, with our people
who want to live in a creative space and find
a passion for themselves in that area. So exposure is everything,
(15:23):
you know, the more we can show. And then also education,
you know, you should never stop learning. Columbus is you know,
one of our top five industries is education along with fashion,
and so I think this is a great place to learn.
There's so many great educational institutions here. I think education
and exposure are just one of the two vital things
for you to you know, grow as a person and
(15:44):
as a city too as well. And to add to
that just to give you guys a kind of sneak
peak of what's going on. We're working with Columbus City
Schools right now. They're actually on our board, and we're
going to open up the first fashion Academy in the
twenty twenty six twenty seven years.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
For high school students, high school sudents.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, great opportunity, Super excited about it.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
It's coming soon.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Well, so your work with the Columbus Fashion Alliance is
bringing even more energy to the local fashion scene. You
just talked a little bit about some of your work
with Columbus City Schools and education and exposure, which are
are central to the mission of Columbus Fashion Alliance. But
can you share some insights on what else the CFA
is currently working on.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
Yeah, so, I mean I was, I was one of them.
The education piece is really big again. Workforce development is
what I touched on when it comes to the you know,
advanced manufacturing, so where you know, one of the things
we realize is that Columbus is being chosen by fashion
industry organizations all the time.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
I just heard.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
From I just heard from Kenny McDonald, which is you know,
he's over our one Columbus to Economic Development Organization, and
companies are calling and asking about relocating to Columbus just
because when they do their research, it shows Columbus is
the best place to move a fashion based business. And
so we see as a city we can answer that
(17:04):
by training the workforce to be ready. So when these
companies come here, we have a skilled workforce that's ready
for it. So we're like partnering with Franklin County Office
of DEI, we're also partnering with the City of Columbus
to do workforce training programs. So that's a big thing
that we're doing this year. But then also on the
other side entrepreneurship, there are so many people here that
want to start brands, and we realize there's an opportunity
(17:26):
to take emerging talent and match that talent with the
experience that's here in Columbus.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So when you think.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
About this decades, if people have been moving to Columbus
to work in the fashion industry, but then when they
leave the fashion industry, they stay here.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
People love the city, right, so they stay here. So
you have a wealth of people who have so.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
Much knowledge on marketing and merchandising and development and product
development just sitting you know, they're waiting for opportunities. So
we're pairing entrepreneurs with those experienced fashion leaders to create
the next brands of the future. So we created a
program called Launch Lab and it's a ten week program
that helps entrepreneurs learn everything about the business. We take
(18:04):
them to trade shows, we introduce them to the experts here,
and then we kind of create these mentorship teams around them.
So that's a big thing that we're doing on the
entrepreneurship side too as well. So working with youth, you know,
working on workforce development, working on entrepreneurship.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Hey, yogi, what about this CFA Innovation Lab. It's not
open yet, right, It's it's set to open later this
and I'll let you describe it better. But it's basically
a space designed to house designers, labs and foster collaboration.
But you want to help transform downtown into what a
(18:40):
fashion district? Is that kind of the inspiration or the vision?
Speaker 5 (18:43):
Yeah, So, you know, when we were doing our research,
one of the early things that we realized was there
was no place for the industry to converge. You know,
you have all of these big, huge retailers here, but
they're all on the outskirts of the right, right right,
and so there.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Was no play.
Speaker 5 (19:00):
You know, you have CCAD which has a fashion program,
you have OSU which has a fashion program, but if
you're not enroll in the schools, you know, how do
you connect to that and how do you connect to
the industry. So when we did our research, one of
the first top priorities that was discovered through that was
build a hub, Build a place where you know, emerging
youth experts can all kind of converge together and see
(19:21):
what happens.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
And you know, it's funny.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Actually, in a conversation I had with one of the
staff and experienced Columbus was another reason behind us. I
was talking to one of the staff and we had
when you guys had one of your events here, yes,
And they were like, hey, we really want to support
you know, telling the story about fashion, but like where.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Where can people experience it?
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Where can people experience it right?
Speaker 5 (19:42):
And so we knew that building a space where people
could experience the fashion industry be able to get a
good experience with all of it, right from the innovation
to the making to the events. So this is another
inspiration for us to kind of build this hub. So
we're very, very excited about it.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So how do you see this space sh the future
of fashion and Columbus.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Yeah, I think it's going to be a game changer,
to be honest with you, I think one is going to,
like Sarah said, it's going to give us a place
to say, here is the fashion experience. And the way
we're going to design the space is so that you
can learn about the history of Columbus and the fashion industry.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
While you're there.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
So the physical build of the space will be an
experience within itself because we don't have a fashion museum
here to tell our history, you know, but we have archived,
you know, vintage pieces from Abercami from the seventies, you know,
so well, you know, pieces that we're going to be
you know, showcasing that kind of tell the overall story
of it. It's going to have a cafe, it's going
(20:36):
to have all these other things. So it's going to
really be a place where you can learn, you can make,
and you can innovate in a fashion industry. And it's
in a Discovery district. So we're buying the building from
CCAD itself, so we're right in between CCAD and Columbus State.
So we talk about the connection and workforce development and
connection to the creative class. It's going to be that
extra you know, connection piece in a discovery district where
(20:59):
the community can come in and then there's gonna be
pathways and pipelining and all that type of stuff happening
right now.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
So that's what it's going to do.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
So, Yogi, you mentioned it's coming soon. Can you give
us an inside look at what the public can expect
to see in the experience and kind of the maybe
general timing of when that will be open.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
To the public.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Yes, yes, So we have some exciting announcements we're going
to make this year, so we'll have the building will
be purchased this year right actually very soon.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Actually you'll be hearing about that very soon.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
And as soon as we, you know, purchase the building,
there's gonna be some activations and announcements that's coming from it.
But one of the things that I'm really excited to
talk to you guys about, and there's not too many
people to notice, so you're kind of.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Getting the.
Speaker 5 (21:41):
Boxer is there today, is that there's also two other
nonprofits that are adjacent to the building, So there's block
for it, which is an art incubator right run by
Adam Broulette and his team, and it's been you know,
doing amazing work for years. They have the Alley Islands,
huge mural project that goes through the the Alley Lay
Alley right behind the building.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
But then also.
Speaker 5 (22:03):
Moving next door to us is a food incubator. So
if you've ever heard of Service Cafe, yeah, right, Service Cafe,
they are opening up a food incubator right next door.
So literally all on one block, you're going to have
the kind of cultural hub for incubating the future culture
of Columbus, whether that's food, fashion, and art all on
one block. So we've been working together as like a
(22:25):
community of creatives to say, how can we you know,
build out this block to where it is that home
for creatives to come to and feel like they can
connect with each other and doing some other stuff. So
there'll be more to come out of that. You'll build
to see some stuff soon. But this year there's gonna
be a lot of exciting announcements. Starting with the building
that we're opening up is called the Loom, so like
(22:46):
you know the actual loom, the weaving and the loom
is going to be you know, bringing things together, right, fashion, retail,
culture and innovation together, so the loom and then block
for it, and then this food incubator will be make
as big announcements this year.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
So exciting, I know, Yogi with this big moment that's
going to happen. It might be too early to ask this,
but someone that's listening to the podcast, is there a
way that someone could get involved if they're wanting to
get involved at this point?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 5 (23:14):
Actually, so this year where we're launching a new membership platform,
it's very easy, I say, if you want to get
involved in fashion, then become a member. It's very easy
to become a member, and you'll get connected with other
people in the industry from executives to entrepreneurs to creatives.
And then once we buy the building, because we already
have our own space right now, so we have about
(23:34):
five thousand square feet of maker space right now that
has equipment, tools, resources, computers and all that stuff. So
we're still doing that. But if someone wants to get
involved in this next phase of the initiative, they can
go to our website Columbusfashion dot org. They can become
a member, they can start getting information and updates on
what's happening, or you can follow us Columbus Fashion Alliance
(23:55):
on our social media pages LinkedIn Instagram is probably the best.
But we're rolling out, you know, content announcements, new programming
all the time, and so I think right now is
the right time to get involved because it's gonna start
moving even faster once we get this, you know, next
phase up and running.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I love your passion and I'm so glad you care
so much about this, Yogi. What kind of opportunities do
you envision this will create for local designers and entrepreneurs.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
It's gonna give them a space, right, So access is
really the big key thing.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
You know.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
We see a lot of people want to do something,
but how do they gain access to it? So we're
gonna have all types of new equipment in a new space.
We're gonna have printers, sewing machines, screen printers, director garment printers,
embroidery machines, huge innovation, huge innovation. Yeah, we're gonna have
an innovation lab. We just got done meeting with Adidas.
We're gonna actually be creating a shoe lab.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
So I love some of the customizable Adidas shoes yes, Yes,
really cool collab that they've done.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
They've done some really cool stuff and we just got
to actually tour their headquarters in Portland. Yeah, I met
with their team and they're very excited. And that's what's
also really dope about this is because the fact that
we're using fashion for good really helps a lot of
conversations that we're having with the big brands because you know,
of course we can say, hey, we just want to
be cool and sexy and all that stuff, but like,
(25:20):
we're actually using it for good.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
So a lot of brands like you know, Gap and like.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Adidas and Macy's, they're all being very responsive to what
we're doing. So you're going to see some bigger brands
be involved with this as well.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
You're helping their workforce getting out that line of talent
right here in Columbus.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That is amazing exactly.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
I think that's great.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
You know, we talked a little bit about someone that
you know, has just wanted to come up in the
ranks as a designer. But when it comes to I
guess when you see the future here on I guess
the fashion scene. I guess what's something that people should
be checking out here in Columbus.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
I think if you're looking right now for tapping into
the fashion industry in Columbus right now, I say the
best place to look is probably Short North. One of
the things that and you know, I didn't appreciate this
as much until I started traveling more. Because of the
work I do on strategy and consulting, I travel a
lot more, which is which is a blessing.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
But you don't realize how much unique independent retail Columbus
has until you've gone to other cities and see that
they don't have that. And I think we take that
for advantage, you know, when we live here. But Columbus
has some of the most unique independent retail when it
comes to the fashion scene. So a short walk through
Short North will show you, you know, places like Artists
(26:35):
in Deluxe, Ladybird, Row, Boutique, Fairrah, Soul Classics, Ransom Supply,
like there's so many stores that have unique, one of
the kind pieces local designers as well. So I think
if you want to really experience what Columbus is creating,
especially like emerging, you need to check out those places.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
Come down to Short North.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
And then as we grow this industry and you know,
we grow our space, We're going to eventually have a
district for fashion coming real soon.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
So you know, this is just a start.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
So I say, if you're coming right now, Short North,
there's other places like east and obviously we have one
of the largest shopping shops in the country. It's like
a shopping village you can't miss, you know, going to
places like Easton, and then there's other places place like Pilaires,
but independent retail, vintage actually go to Clintonville, Yes, a
huge vintage scene that a lot of people don't talk about,
flower Child, which is.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
On Fifth Avenue. Yeah, Fifth Avenue, yep, flower Child.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
But then also in Clintonville there's a huge collection of
like younger emerging vintage stores also with your more established
you know, venture stores. I've been here for a while,
so we have a few scenes to check out, Yes,
we do.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
So, Yogi, what kinds of opportunities do you think the
fashion hub is going to create for local designers and entrepreneurs.
Is the goal to kind of give them that opportunity
to potentially move into an inline space in the Short
North or in one of our other vibrant neighborhoods.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
So you know, so our whole goal is the this
this launch lab that we have is more like a
fashion brand incubator, and so our goal is to help
brands get up and running and get established. We have
our own retail space called Gallery in the Short North
and so that is where we allow for emerging brands
to try their you know, their clothing and their collections
out in the market for the first time. And then
(28:20):
that helps them kind of get a good understanding of,
you know, how their stuff is doing. But then after that,
if they're ready to expand we are partnering with like
the Short North, We're partnering with Downtown Columbus Incorporated. We're
partnering in place like Easton and and other you know
institutions to help them find their own retail spaces so
that we can have even more unique and dependent retail
so you will see the flow of you know, businesses
(28:41):
and brands. There's a ground floor Growth program that you know,
Nick Bankston, council member Nick Bankston is running here. What
it helps emerging entrepreneurs get their own space in downtown.
So we're partnering with them as well. So our products
in our programs right now help brands get established and
then we help them kind of move on to their.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Next That is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
And then you said it it is a great time
to be in fashion in Columbus, and you also mentioned
that fashion is going to be a big economic driver.
Can you talk a little bit more about that.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Yeah, I mean, right now, Columbus is one of the
top five industries in the country. I think Columbus's top
five industries are government because we're the state capital, healthcare, insurance, education,
and fashion. So it's already one of our top five industries.
But by creating an incubator and pathways for the next generation,
then we're going to keep that industry here but also
(29:35):
grow it. Right, So what is the next Express? What
is the next pink? What is the next you know
brand that's going to come out of here? And since
the industry is you know, changing, there's a lot more online,
we have this great opportunity to launch a lot of
new brands that are you know, having global impact at
a smaller footprint tune as well, so you know, it's
our Here's the thing about fashion, Arts and culture has
(29:57):
already been established. If you look at the research, arts
and culture sure are a direct input into a city's
economic growth. This is the reason why places like New
York and LA have grown is not because of just
you know, development and you know in business, it's because
of the culture. And so the more that we invest
in the culture of Columbus's going to help our city
(30:18):
grow economically. So that's why we're you know, pushing for
what we're doing, because we know that fashion already has
a direct economic impact, but it can have so much
more if we bet on us, if we invest into
the culture even more.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Absolutely, I was just going to say, and you know,
you absolutely have to activate the spaces that we have.
So we have amazing spaces, amazing neighborhoods. Activating those spaces
and arts, culture and fashion play right into.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
That, right right. You gotta give it to the people, man,
Let the people have fun.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Give them another reason to come into those season exactly.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, I'm sorry, I was just gonna say, Yogi, you
need to write a how to book if you haven't already.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
There's spare time time.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
So I mean, but on that, I mean, you've created
this career with the intersection of creativity, You've built this
up marketing of course, community impact. But what would you
say is the biggest lesson, Yogi, that you've learned along
the way, what sticks out for you.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Yeah, I will say that the biggest lesson I've learned
is to believe in myself growing up from Akron, growing
up in a community where there were only a few
opportunities and people didn't see I didn't even see myself
going too far in life. I just thought the next
hustle was my way to get my next meal at
the end of the day, and even follow me to
(31:34):
Columbus when I first got here. You know, it was
the hustle was how we thought about it. Everything was
about the hustle. But hustle was short term thinking, and
so I had to start really believing in myself to
push myself forward. And all of the work that I've
done has helped me one believing myself but also help
me remember that I can do hard things. You know,
sometimes we get afraid of our potential and we you know,
(31:59):
we might have a big idea, we might want to
push further, but because of that fear, we say, no,
I'm just gonna I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
You know, that's for somebody else. I can't do that
and I'm learning to say, you know, forget that, like,
you know, I can do hard things. I actually got
a tattooed on my arm this year, oh this past year,
in twenty twenty four, I got on my arm you
can will you have can and we'll do hard things.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah. Yeah. Whenever I'm like, bro, what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
You just look right down.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
But I leave that meeting and it's like that was
a tough meeting and I'm like, you know, and then
you start to thinking, man, what am I doing? Like
I'm trying to do the most, and I'm like, okay,
all right, I can do it.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I can do it. That's what I've learned. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
I think this is good.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I think this could be part of your next keynote
talk that you give around the country and then at
the end you can have everybody do that tattooo.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Yeah there you go, just remember everybody. Yeah right, yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
So, Yogi, your favorite quote, and I don't know if
I knew this previously, is be useful, unique and updated.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
How do you apply that mindset to your work?
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Yeah? I think you know.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
I remember seeing this quote like years ago, like years
years ago, and I've it's always in the bottom of
my emails, is in my email signature too as well.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
But I believe if you live.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
By these three things, you will have a fulfilling life.
And so be useful, right, you know, I think being
useful is pretty much self explanatory. Like when you're in
a room, you know, have something to add to it,
have some value to add, or find what value you
bring to the community, to your job, to your business.
Just be useful, right, and then be unique, you know,
(33:36):
be yourself. I think individualism is really expounded in today's
you know day and age, right, I mean with social media, globalization,
Like everybody's trying to be unique in their own sense.
But like, find out what's really you, what's really in
your spirit, and hold on to that and don't be
afraid to be yourself, and then to be updated. I
(33:57):
think often we make decisions based on old things and
things that we've learned from the past, but you know,
times changed, and I think generation and generation we show
each other. Like if I'm talking to my daughter, who
my daughter's nineteen now, she lives a totally different life
than I do, and so when I'm trying to tell
her life lesson, she's looking at me like that, shut.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Up because my.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
World is not her world, right, So I try to
stay updated. I think, you know, never never stop learning.
So being usedful, unique and updated, I feel like you
always could have some impact and always you know, have
some some purpose and utility.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
In the room.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Absolutely, and I love that never stop learning so so important,
Yogi for a designer or anyone that's in creative when
it comes to the fashion industry, what advice would you
give them if they're trying to break in.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
So we have a lot of people come to us
all the time to say, I've always had this idea
of starting my own brand. I've always had my idea
start my own clothing company. But they never launch. And
so my first piece of advice to them it just
just started, just literally just started to do. Just do
it is so you know, so Nike, but it's so
it makes sense and you.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
You really.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
You really never stop stop learning. And so I tell
people all the time, just launch it, because the only
way you're gonna learn is by putting it out there.
So become a student of the game while you launch it.
And you could do it on your own time, doing
it on your own accord, But just launch it.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
Just hit go.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
I tell people, just hit go and figure out everything else.
I mean, you know, I'm not into commercial real estate,
but you know, we're buying a building.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
I've never done that, but I've learned it, figured it out.
I'm figuring it out the hard way.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
It's all good.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
But you know, I know more about commercial development than
I ever did before.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
So maybe more than you ever wanted to know.
Speaker 5 (35:48):
Maybe more than I ever wanted to write, right, But
at least I hit go and I said we're gonna
do it. And I think for most people that's what
I try to, you know, let them know, is that
you have greatness on the other side of that fear
of starting. So just get over that fear, because most
of time the fear is in our head is way
bigger than the actual experience.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
So face to fear, hit go, find out what happens.
So inspiring.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
It really is really really inspiring.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
So, Yogi, what are your favorite spots to shop in Columbus?
I think you may be named a few in the
short North, but any others that our listeners should be
aware of.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
Let me see. I did mention them.
Speaker 5 (36:22):
Soul Classics one of my favorite spots. Gallery by CFA.
It's also one of my favorite spots just because it's
all local, you know, local designers. I think being so
close to the fashion industry I've become I'm not as
attracted to just buying brands for the sake of brands anymore.
I like buying unique pieces or something that has a
story to tell. So I love places that have unique
(36:44):
pieces and police pieces that are from local designers. So
you know, like I said, for me, Soul Classics Gallery,
Ransom Supply, which is a local brand.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
You know they're Ryan Ransom runs that shout out to Ryan.
Speaker 5 (36:58):
He has always has a good story that he is
telling as he releases collections.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
But then for others too, I love.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
I love artists and deluxe when it comes like denim,
and it's also fair like if you haven't been a fair,
fair has some really really dope pieces and it's just
your non traditional stuff, but it's also quality as quality
is made has made really well. And then every now
and then I'll stop at the local life flea markets.
There's all types of fleet markets that happen in Columbus
two where you'll find uh, you know, previously loved piece
(37:26):
and then I upcycle a lot too. So there's a
brand La that's doing a lot of upcycling right now,
and Honor shout out to Honest.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
She just launched really really dope stuff.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
And I think that is really what we're trying to
lean more into is taking pieces that were already you know, made,
editing them, adding some stuff to it that kind of
personalizes it, and then now you have a one of one.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's kind of like what I like nowday.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
You name dropped some of those because I was gonna
ask about brands and designers that we should be following,
So like which one some of those you just named
which one specifically?
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Yeah, definitely Ransom Supply and you'll follow Ransom Supply. There's
a brand called Creamy Studios. Homies called Creamy Studios.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
They do a lot of.
Speaker 5 (38:04):
Airbrushing and unique par on fashion and it's being seen
on a lot of celebrities and famous people.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
They were just had a couple of big trade shows.
Speaker 5 (38:13):
You got Maid and Co. Which is a homie Reese.
He's doing some really big stuff. He just did a
big collection with Short North and you know, and that's
what you want. You want the local creatives partnering with
our local communities to create pieces, and that whole piece
went really really well. There's a girl named Goldie. She
has her own jewelry line I just launched and it's
been doing really really well in Columbus. So women, if
(38:33):
you're looking for some really you know, unique dope jewelry,
check out Goldie.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
All Right, well, Yogi, thank you so much for joining
us today and this conversation has been truly inspiring. If
you want to keep up with Yogi's incredible work in
the community and stay connected with the Columbus Fashion Alliance
and the Fashion Innovation Hub, just visit Columbus Fashion dot org.
And hey, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to
hit subscribe, leave, or review and share it with a friend.
(38:59):
And even more ways to explore Columbus just go to
Experiencecolumbus dot com. Until next time, keep saying Yes Columbus.
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Yes Columbus
and Experienced Columbus podcast. Tune in next week as we
take you on a tour of what's new, what's hot,
and what makes Columbus a city on the rise.
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