Columbus Woman’s Couture Gown Makes Its Way To Blue Jackets Fundraiser

A woman has turned her passion for fashion into charitable giving.

Ann Mitchell began designing when she was 7 and had her own wedding and prom dress business by 12.

But after graduating college in mathematics, Mitchell gave it all up, 10TV’s Andrea Cambern reported.

“I was looking through my old fabric, like crates and crates of fabric I had in my garage, and my fiancé was like, ‘You better do something with this or I’m going to put it on eBay,” Mitchell said.

That’s when Mitchell began designing gowns again, Cambern reported.

A couture gown designed by Mitchell will be seen on Thursday at the Columbus Blue Jackets annual Black Tie, Blue Jackets fundraiser for pediatric cancer.

The gown, which features thousands of Swarovski crystals on silk, was worn on the runway at New York Fashion Week and will be modeled in Columbus by the wife of a Blue Jackets player.

“To be able to create one-of-a-kind looks really inspires me,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell’s work has appeared on runways across the nation, but Mitchell does not make money off her creations.

Mitchell, who works full time in the insurance industry, shows the gowns at fundraisers and then auctions them off at the end of the season for charity.

She calls it “fashion philanthropy,” Cambern reported.

“Being able to make fabulous dresses and donate them to worthy organizations for a worthy cause, it really makes me feel great,” Mitchell said.

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