A few months ago, a group of us fashion types gathered at Mass Ave Wine Shoppe to discuss the future of fashion in Indianapolis. We all agreed there's some room for improvement in, well, pretty much every facet of the industry; education, events, sourcing, etc.
With each meeting afterward, a larger crowd gathered, and the Indianapolis Fashion Collective was born. It's a group dedicated to uniting, empowering and showcasing the fashion talent that our fair city has to offer.
Today I introduce to to you indianapolisfashion.org, the official Web presence of the IFC, complete with a directory of local boutiques and designers, with much yet to come, namely a blog, a hub for professional resumes, a calendar of events, internship and mentoring opportunities, sourcing materials and so many other ideas we have floating around out there.
So, what do you get as a member of the IFC? Well, at the moment you get the satisfaction of knowing you're supporting what promises to unite fashion in Indianapolis and the opportunity to the make the decisions to that end. Members may join committees (marketing, events, fundraising, fashion district, Super Bowl) that are still forming policies that should lead the organization to its full glory.
All this can be yours for the bargain price of $50.
IFC leaders have been working closely with Develop Indy from the beginning to help the city form a proper industry outlook and build the directory information that both entities will share. All this is in hopes Indianapolis can attract manufacturing components from the larger fashion universe and perhaps form a physical fashion district, where tourists and residents alike know they'll find the city's host of stylish activity.
Among said "things to come" is a blog, of course, discussing industry news.
Yours truly will be co-authoring said blog in my free time (eep!) so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of my first contribution to the IFC blog, a photo narrative of Murph Damron. Some of you may know Murph as the fashion show coordinator for such events as the Reis Nichols holiday party but most will know her as a fixture of nearly every fashion event in town.
What many of you don't know is Murph (no, that's not her real name and she won't tell a soul what that is) was a model in the late '60s and '70s, back when fashion photography was really coming into its own.
We sat in her little north-side house and poured over her leather portfolio, the very same one she used to haul with her to "go-sees." In it are photos taken by
the Wilhelmina (of the modeling agency fame, whom Murph refers to as Willy) and photos taken with Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy!) There is a piece of fashion history sitting on my humble little newspaper desk and I'm happy to share with you a brief account of Murph's adventures in fashion, in her own words. Below, a tease.
To read the full post, or to become a member of IFC or just give us money, visit indianapolisfashion.org. 
Fashion's always a little more fun when it's for a good cause, and what better way to start the new year than by giving to those won't be sipping champagne when the ball drops tonight.
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