When hired 10 years ago to promote a local fashion show with his company, Ready Inc., Rob Henlon, Co-Founder of Orlando International Fashion Week said he realized the immensity and creativity of the Orlando fashion community and felt pulled to be part of it.
“Orlando is such an art-rich community. I’ve been here for like, over 20 years, but we’ve just been able to foster that,” Henlon said. “So people could come into these types of events where they see like-minded people and they know that what they want to study and what they want to learn and what they want to do matters.”
The Orlando International Fashion Week will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Grand Bohemian Hotel from Nov. 10-17 with a variety of fashion shows and networking events for guests to attend.
Having founded the fashion-oriented non-profit with his sister, Jessica Henlon, and friend Starr Dalton, he said they were able to put the skills they already had to good use. Their original company focused on branding, social media, and web design—all assets they brought to OIFW.
Not knowing much about fashion coming into this, Henlon said as a military veteran he was able to use his knowledge of logistics and coordinating large amounts of people to understand how production of major events like these would take place. He said event planning was more of his sister’s nature.
Henlon also said their experience moving around a lot as “military brats” taught him and his sister to embrace and cherish diversity, which are elements they are building into OIFW.
“It’s a pleasure to be able to have and learn from such a big group of diverse team members for sure,” Henlon said. “In our logo, you would notice that the O in Orlando International Fashion Week, it is open at the bottom and on the top. That’s symbolic because we don’t close our circle, our circle is open to everybody.”
OIFW board is made up of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Henlon said there are members from all over the world who help shape the vision of the non-profit and can connect with individuals who may have been hesitant to join due to language barriers or other cultural factors.
“Because everyone feels welcomed, and they are welcomed, it continues to grow organically,” Henlon said.
Over the years there have been participants in the production from all over such as the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and California, aspiring to bring in more international participants in future fashion weeks.
Henlon said the team at OIFW takes a lot of pride in letting the community grow by giving a space for people to explore their passions. Whether it be someone working in hair and makeup at the events or a model going for a casting call or a young aspiring fashionista, there are opportunities available.
He said they work with Aveda Institute Orlando and Anelya Alim Makeup School in New York to provide scholarships in support of individuals finding a career in beauty.
They also always include youth in OIFW. This year the youth fashion show will take place on Nov. 17, and Henlon said he has seen past members of these shows go on to walk at Beverly Hills Fashion Week or even take part in the film industry. Even if some of the youth do not go on to pursue anything in fashion, Henlon said he has seen OIFW help them grow in their self-confidence.
With this year’s OIFW coming up, Henlon said he is proud of what he and his sister have created and is excited to see the Orlando fashion community continue to flourish.
“I’m passionate about people’s passions,” Henlon said. “I love to see when people in hair and makeup start talking about different things they can do, I trust them because I see their passions. And that’s what builds it. That’s what builds the community.”