Meet The Designers

Aaron is a self-taught designer who got his start participating in Highball Halloween, Columbus Fashion Week, and the Alternative Fashion Mob. Aaron has gone on to work building costumes for Broadway, film, and television, working with award-winning designers such as Catherine Zuber, Santo Loquasto, and Bob Mackie.

Lynn is a self-taught artist with a focus on painting. Her art is creative and bold. She combines elements of reality with whimsy using acrylic paint, body paint, elements of fashion, and henna. Lynn has a passion for fashion, which she is able to incorporate into her world through body art and costume. Her work can be found in galleries in Columbus, Ohio.

A Columbus-based duo, Que is all fashion, color, and design; Steve is construction, function, and mechanical. When combined, they are an unstoppable force creating larger than life wearable art. A drag queen by night, Que’s alter ego, Gretta Goodbottom, makes the best drag fashions around. Beads, sequins, stones, and just larger-than-life clothes, for large-than-life ladies are his speciality. Friends for many years, this will be their second time designing for Highball Halloween; last year they created a working fountain.

Passionate about all aspects of the creative process, Rachel Katz has experience in bringing a creative concept to life from start to finish. Fashion design developed out of a necessity for Rachel. After starting with photography as a creative endeavor, she realized many of her photography concepts needed specific wardrobe to bring them to life, so she got to work. This necessity developed into a creative skill unto itself. She has now been featured in Alternative Fashion week, and multiple national publications. While her focus in fashion is on custom and couture pieces, she also has a love for costuming. This gives her a unique edge for a competition like Highball Halloween. A lover of not only Halloween but an array of cosplay, Rachel also has experience in designing and fabricating one of a kind costumes and competing with them.

Shiree Houf is a stay-at-home mom freelancing as a costume designer out of her home in Pickerington. She has placed amongst the top three designers in Highball Halloween’s Costume Couture Fashion Show eight out of nine participating years. Her designs are frequently featured in New Vision Dance Co. productions and with a variety of local entertainment companies. Shiree has her MFA in Design from OSU and a BA in Theatre from Miami University. She is passionate about using her theatrical background to create memorable moments both on and off stage.

Vince Quevedo is a national and international award-winning designer/artist in the areas of fashion design, wearable arts and creative teaching methods. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Clothing and Textiles and his Master’s of Science degree in Workforce Education and Development with a focus on college teaching at Southern Illinois University. He received his Master of Fine Arts in textiles/fiber from University of Nebraska.

He was selected as one of four Americans to represent the United States at the Busan International Fiber-Fashion and Art biennial in South Korea. He has been a finalist/winner in the American Quilter’s Association’s design competition for the past 20 years and has been selected to design for the prestigious Bernina Fashion Show. He has taught at the university level for 31 years. He owned his own men’s and women’s contemporary design label, “Vinci” and label “Tod-Hil Designs” which created and manufactured activewear that included college track and field uniforms. Additionally he was the assistant designer at David Ravel Inc.

Xantha has worked in the business of fashion for more than 30 years. She is a fashion designer/artist. She has a bachelor’s degree in business and has additionally studied Fashion design at CCAD. Xantha, an innovator in her field, does her part in helping the environment. Sustainable fashion plays a big part in her brand – reusing something old to create something new. Xantha is also a business owner who sells her one-of-a-kind clothes, jewelry and art. Additionally, she teaches sewing classes to sew to youth in the community.