Columbus Fashion Alliance to open 43,000‑square‑foot “Loom”; Franklin County has invested millions to grow local fashion economy

The Columbus Fashion Alliance plans to open the Loom, a 43,000‑square‑foot fashion innovation center in downtown Columbus that the nonprofit says will include offices, a microfactory, an innovation lab and a retail lab for testing models and training designers.

The announcement came at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum where Johanna “Yogi” Terrell, executive director and founder of the Columbus Fashion Alliance, described the Loom as a physical hub for designers, students and emerging brands. “We are purchasing the building from Columbus College of Art and Design. So we're literally gonna be in a creative campus,” Terrell said. She added that the center will be “a 43,000 square foot fashion innovation center” with space for offices, a microfactory and an innovation lab.

Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crowley, president of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, described public investment behind the effort. “In the past 3 years, the county has invested more than $5,000,000 into fashion,” Crowley said. “But for [the Columbus Fashion Alliance] alone, just for Yogi and his…