As students at Ohio State, fashion fanatics Heather Wang and Joseph Chen had trouble finding a place to shop for clothes.
"When we were in school, if you wanted a shirt you didn't know where to go," Wang said. "And (some students) don't have a car, so 10 people get stuck in one car to drive to a mall and shop."
With that inconvenience in mind, the two OSU graduates opened their own women's clothing store in South Campus Gateway.
Au Moda celebrated its grand opening Saturday with a fashion show that benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The event included food provided by all of Gateway's restaurants and music by DJ Holla.
Wang and Chen, who graduated from OSU in 2004 and 2002, respectively, have always been interested in the fashion industry.
Chen, who majored in international studies, got a job at National City Bank after graduation and Wang, who majored in biology, started working at a molecular genetics research lab at OSU. The pair knew they wanted to open a store, but always thought it was something they would do when they were older.
In college, they attended fashion shows in Chicago and New York and developed relationships with clothing vendors.
"They are all about our age, so they are really easy to talk to," Wang said of the vendors.
The pair began selling excess Victoria's Secret inventory online to overseas customers.
"That went pretty well, so we decided to open a store," Chen said.
Chen and Wang drove past Gateway one day and realized it would be the perfect location. They could not let the opportunity pass.
Chen said they chose Gateway partly because "it's hot on campus," and students living near south campus will want to shop at the store.
Au Moda carries clothes from Kenneth Cole, French Connection UK and BCBG, along with an assortment of accessories.
"We have a mixture of name-brand clothing and we also have some affordable lines," Chen said. "It's what's trendy, it's what's new. We just pretty much try to meet everybody's needs."
Au Moda carries clothes ranging in price from $15 to $150, Wang said.
The fashion show and modeling contest was held at nearby McFadden's, and the models Wang chose included many OSU students. They wore clothes from Au Moda and tried out their catwalk skills in front of the crowd and the judges: Anna Melomud, Miss Ohio USA 2007 and Michelle Moore, Mrs. Ohio 2002.
The judges and audience chose OSU students Lindsay Harding and Keilah Stevens as the top models. Harding, a senior in dental hygiene, and Stevens, a student of human ecology, will appear in Au Moda advertisements.
Patrick Dyer, spokesman for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, estimated 200 tickets were sold for the event. He said Au Moda guaranteed at least a $4,000 donation to the society and all proceeds from bar sales at McFadden's from 2 to 6 p.m. would also be donated.
The student models were the first to check out Au Moda and the clothes.
Amber Hammett, a junior in textiles and clothing, said the prices at the store depend on the brand names. She said they have more expensive high-end brands, but they also have shirts that range from $20 to $30.
Another model, Tammie Yip, a junior in hospitality management, said Au Moda will be convenient, especially for freshmen who have trouble getting to malls. She also said the clothes are cheaper than they would be at department stores or at a mall.
Yip said Au Moda will be a good place for students to shop on campus for interview attire.
"The clothes are professional and not skanky," Yip said. "The clothes are really cute. I want to come back and buy everything."
Lindsay Betz can be reached at betz.49@osu.edu.
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