This Runway Is Invitation Only | Midwest Fashion Week 2026

By EU Media

On November 8, 2026, models walked beneath the glass and steel of the Indianapolis Artsgarden, with spectators seated on either side of the runway. Above the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets, the downtown landmark was the setting for UNITED, Midwest Fashion Week’s 20th-anniversary show. For founder Berny Martin, the milestone put the spotlight on the city where his fashion production company began. UNITED event page · Indy Arts Council

From his grandmother’s sewing lessons to an Indianapolis runway

Martin, a Haitian-American fashion designer, traces his start to his grandmother in Haiti. She encouraged his interest in clothing and helped him sew his first design, a pair of jeans. He named his label Catou after her and launched it in Indianapolis in 2005. A year later, he founded Midwest Fashion Week, seeing a need for more places where designers in the region could show their work. Berny Martin’s biography · Midwest Fashion Week

That early goal was as much about business as it was about runway presentation. “I want designers to have a chance at selling something this year,” Martin told the Indianapolis Business Journal in 2010, as he worked to bring boutique owners into the room. An introduction to a buyer could give a designer a next step after the final walk. Indianapolis Business Journal

A fashion company with international reach

What began as a small Indianapolis event series grew to include productions in Chicago, New York, and Paris. The runway became a place for emerging designers, models, stylists, and photographers to show what they could do. In 2019, Martin founded the Fashion Community Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to give young people with limited access to the industry hands-on training in skills such as sewing and garment construction. The runway gives people a place to show their work. The foundation gives young people a place to begin learning the craft. Midwest Fashion Week · Fashion Community Foundation · Training program

A runway spot is earned

Make no mistake, a place on this runway is earned. Midwest Fashion Week says its runway shows are by invitation only and its team bases invitations on design quality. Applicants submit a press kit with a bio, a portrait, images from past collections, and a vision board for upcoming work. For a designer who has put in the hours refining a collection, that invitation is a chance to show the work in a professional production and put it in front of an audience. Midwest Fashion Week designer information

The opportunity extends across the arts. A model can build runway experience, a stylist can see how a look reads in motion, and a photographer can build a portfolio and meet other creatives. Designer Judith Prieto, owner of ZELF INTIMATES, told Midwest Fashion Week that Martin’s invitation to show helped her bring her brand to market sooner. Photographer Donald Burlock recalled that working with Martin opened doors to other shoots and helped him see a career for himself in the creative industries. Judith Prieto interview · Donald Burlock interview

Back under the glass in Indianapolis

One of the most telling moments in Keep Cookin’ Media’s recap comes before a look is shown. During rehearsal, models are coached on where to pause and how much space to leave for a designer to step forward and receive applause. Later, the overhead view shows what that preparation was for. There’s a clear path down the middle of the Artsgarden, with the audience close enough to see the clothes in motion. Watch the UNITED recap

Twenty years after Martin started making room for designers in Indianapolis, the city had a chance to applaud the person who built the runway as well as the people walking it. Congratulations, Berny Martin, on 20 years of Black excellence and on celebrating that milestone at the Indianapolis Artsgarden. 

Video and recap imagery by Keep Cookin’ Media. Editorial coverage by EU Media.

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