Industry plant isn鈥檛 a compliment. It鈥檚 slang for that artist who blew up without putting in the work, chasing trends rather than building an artistic vision. They鈥檙e an imposter. They鈥檙e astroturf.
But students like Michaela Matheney are turning that idea on its head. She鈥檚 the marketing lead for Industry Plant, a student-created fashion line hosting a Short North pop-up shop this week.
鈥淧eople say that you鈥檙e not supposed to be there or that you don鈥檛 deserve to be where you are, and we鈥檙e taking that definition and making it positive for us,鈥� Matheney explains. 鈥淪aying that even though we鈥檙e young and we鈥檙e Black, that doesn鈥檛 mean that we don鈥檛 have a place in any industry鈥攅specially the Columbus fashion industry.鈥�
Matheney is one of 15 high schools who took part in the intensive 10 week paid internship. The students went from idea to finished product, picking up branding, design, production and marketing skills along the way. The program has the backing of the Columbus Fashion Alliance and My Brothers Keeper, the program begun during the Obama administration to help Black boys and young men.
Matheney is a senior this year and she鈥檚 dual-enrolled at Columbus State, so she鈥檒l be graduating with an associate鈥檚 degree, too.
鈥淧rior to this I鈥檝e always known that I wanted to go into marketing but as far as an industry, I never knew,鈥� Matheney said. 鈥淎nd me doing this in fashion meant a lot to me. I really do think that fashion might be the way to go. I might have a passion for fashion.鈥�
Their pieces are lining the walls at 640 North High, right in the heart of the Short North. A DJ is spinning records and the kids are dancing in front of huge mirror, only stopping to pose for friends snapping photos with a cell phone. It鈥檚 loud enough the gallery next door gives them a gentle nudge to turn things down, but the mood is exuberant. Ronny Oppong headed up the program.
鈥淢y group of kids was 14 to 18,鈥� Oppong said. 鈥淭hey love fashion they love streetwear they love retail and they contribute a lot to that, but this program gives them the opportunity to understand who puts those things on those racks.鈥�
Oppong studied fashion merchandising at Ohio State. He explains the Industry Plant label as a way of taking hold of the indirect influence Black youth already exert in the world of fashion, by taking a direct role in making products.
鈥淭he minority builds up culture, the majority appropriates said culture and then it鈥檚 spun around and sold back to the minority,鈥� Oppong says. 鈥淣ow you have these kids who can stand up along any of these brands and say I know how they made those shirts. I know the process, I know production, I know how to source that out, I know trend.鈥�
The point of the project as Oppong describes it, is education and empowerment. None of the pieces are being sold. Instead they鈥檙e giving them away to people 21 and under who visit the pop-up shop.
Josh Dailey worked on the design team. His favorite piece is the Industry Plant worldwide t-shirt.
鈥淚 was just working on something and I seen this post on Instagram and I was like that global logo is fire, but I need to flip it and make it my own,鈥� Dailey describes. 鈥淎nd so I鈥檝e been excited for that since I even thought of it, to now seeing it in person is crazy.鈥�
Dailey is also heading into his senior year, and he鈥檚 been doing freelance design work through a platform called Dribble for years. But he said the internship, and seeing the full production process play out, is having an impact as he thinks about what鈥檚 next.
鈥淚 think I鈥檒l always be doing design, but after this internship, being able to design the clothes and really put my hands on it, I really feel like I want to go into that space,鈥� Dailey said.
Funding for the $300,000 program came from My Brother鈥檚 Keeper and the City of Columbus. Oppong says there has been talk of a potential second-run collection. Both Dailey and Matheney said they鈥檇 be excited at the prospect of more work on the Industry Plant project.
