The Underground Streetwear Fashion Show brought together dozens of local designers, artists and models at Sharkz NightClub on Jan. 29.
The handmade outfits ranged from crochet pieces to collages of upcycled garments, basketball jerseys and even kuffiyehs.
The Over-the-Rhine nightclub set up a makeshift runway for the event. On either side, vendors sold the work of local makers, some of whom also modeled in the show.
Local tattoo artists tattooed guests throughout the night. In the corner, a table with a sewing machine and a pile of scrap fabric invited attendees to try their hand at their own designs.
The show was presented by Rich Off Fashion, a creation of 28-year-old Khalil “Sauceboykayy” Jackson, that has grown into a small production team. Jackson is also a designer and featured his own brand Very Rare 2 Find in the fashion show.
“Underground street fashion is raw energy. It’s going to be raw, authentic,” Jackson said. “Everybody’s got their own aura that they bring to the table.”
Up-and-coming designers showcase their work
Jackson said the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show was the first show for many of the designers. Some traveled from across the Midwest to participate.
Darryl Clemons, 30, traveled from Indianapolis to show his work. He originally connected with Jackson online and received an invitation to participate in December.
Clemons upcycles existing garments through a process of both distressing and repair. He said he makes an effort to use all parts of old garments in unexpected ways, such as using the waistband of old jeans for the hem of a jacket. Repurposing old material saves both money and the planet, he said.
When Jackson organized his first fashion show in 2023 as a way to market Very Rare 2 Find, he had been working for a shoe store on Vine Street called All in Style. (The store has since relocated to Newport and changed its name to Out the Box.) He said his employers saw his potential and encouraged him to keep going.
Between trips to fashion shows in New York City and Atlanta, Jackson has organized a number of shows in Cincinnati – mostly pop-ups at resale stores, vintage shops, or anywhere he could find – but none as big as Thursday night’s show at Sharkz.
He discovered the nightclub before it opened while visiting the neighboring pizza restaurant, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, and saw flashing lights through the window. Jackson said he was searching for a venue for a larger fashion show he had in mind.
The day after Sharkz NightClub opened in November, Jackson went to the club to pitch his idea. Mohammed Rashdan, creator and general manager of Sharkz, said he could sense Jackson’s love for fashion from the beginning and was eager to work with him.
Rashdan moved to Cincinnati from Palestine in 2017. In Cincinnati, Rashdan said he found an encouraging community of great people, but he was disappointed by the lack of energetic night clubs. By hosting events like the fashion show, Rashdan hopes that Cincinnatians will discover Sharkz and break out of their usual bar routine.
Garnering talent in a growing Cincinnati fashion scene
To bring the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show to life in the short timeframe required daily effort and “a lot of Zoom calls,” said Elaina Thompson, modeling director and show coordinator.
Thompson has been part of Rich Off Fashion since 2023, though she said the brand is “Sauce’s baby.”
Thompson, 24, met Jackson while she was a student at Xavier University. Xavier’s Black Student Association had been organizing a fashion show, for which Thompson served as modelling coach, and Jackson was invited as a designer.
Jackson told Thompson about the shows he had been organizing so far and shared his vision for growing an audience. The team has since built a network of local designers through the small shows they have hosted in Cincinnati.
“You’re not rich off fashion unless you’re doing it as a community,” Thompson said.
The Underground Streetwear Fashion Show brought together young and emerging talent in all aspects of production. It was also an opportunity for established creatives to build confidence in new roles.
Mae Hudson, 30, the lead makeup artist for the show, has been working in the beauty industry for more than 10 years and is in school to become a licensed esthetician, but the fashion show was her first experience in directing a team of makeup artists.
Hudson attended a previous Rich Off Fashion show and found that while the fashion design was strong, the makeup was lacking.
“The face is what sells the clothes,” Hudson said, “so what’s fashion without a face?”
In response to her feedback, Thompson invited Hudson to do makeup for the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show. With over 40 models participating, Hudson realized that she would need to assemble a team of makeup artists.
Cierra King, 27, has previously performed in high school and collegiate musical theater, but this was her first modelling experience. She said modeling for the show was a fantastic way to practice entering a room with confidence.
King, a Columbus native, first came to Cincinnati through Teach for America. She said the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show captures the diversity of Cincinnati’s fashion scene because each piece tells a story about its creator.
Jackson describes Cincinnati’s fashion community as strong but scattered, as many local designers are unaware of one another. He said Cincinnati’s fashion scene has the potential to grow to the scale of larger cities’ scenes if the existing creatives in the city unite into one community.
Rich Off Fashion has plans to host a couture show in April. Jackson hopes that Rich Off Fashion will continue to grow and eventually fill venues as large as Cincinnati Music Hall.
Next steps and follow-up questions
- The Underground Streetwear Fashion Show brought together dozens of designers, artists and models, many of them local, at Sharkz NightClub in Cincinnati on a cold night, Thursday, Jan. 29.
- Khalil “Sauceboykayy” Jackson, who has been organizing small fashion shows in Cincinnati under the label Rich Off Fashion for the past three years, presented his largest show yet with the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show. He hopes to host even larger shows in the near future.
- For many local designers and models who participated, the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show was their first. The show also attracted talent from around the Midwest, recruiting mostly over social media.
Questions we’re left with:
- How many people attended the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show?
- What lessons did the organizers of the Underground Streetwear Fashion Show learn that they will apply to their next event?
Read more from on this meeting from Documenter Erin Couch:
