Steve Jobs
The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience is back July 13, 2025, and it’s bolder, and more disruptive than ever! This is where creativity, innovation, and rebellion collide.
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The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working space is the command center for Southwest Ohio’s fashion revolution. Our House is where global textile innovation, business incubation, and bold creativity converge to build a national network of fashion disruptors and creators. As the cornerstone of Southwest Ohio’s fashion infrastructure, The House of (DE-FI)ance fuels a regional pipeline for economic development, ensuring that aspiring, emerging, and established talent can grow their careers without leaving the community.
Whether you're designing a collection, launching a product, or engineering a career pivot, this is where fashion dreams find structure and momentum.
Membership is by invitation only. Ready to shape the future of fashion with us? Request Your Invitation Now.
What We Offer
Why We Exist: Reconstructing the Fashion Industry from the Ground Up
The House of (DE-FI)ance isn’t just a creative space, it’s the cornerstone of a growing infrastructure designed to retain, empower, and elevate fashion talent across Southwest Ohio and beyond. We were built to fill a void: the absence of an intentional, career-focused fashion pipeline that bridges artistry, education, innovation, and enterprise under one roof.
We exist to ensure that fashion is treated as the legitimate, multifaceted industry that it is, one that intersects with agriculture, science, manufacturing, technology, business, and community impact. We’re not a moment. We’re the movement powering an entire region.
The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience, is the first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary fashion co-working experience. The public planning began in 2017, and since opening our doors in March 2021, we’ve rewritten the rules, reshaped the industry, and set a new standard for fashion innovation and collaboration on a regional level.
What Sets Us Apart:
Why It Matters
The House of (DE-FI)ance is the anchor in a regional fashion renaissance, where talent doesn’t have to leave the Midwest to be seen, supported, or successful. We’re reshaping what fashion infrastructure looks like, turning raw potential into realized futures, and building an industry that reflects the diversity, grit, and creativity of our community.
This isn’t a trend. This is how fashion should function, local, sustainable, inclusive, and rooted in opportunity. Welcome to an elite, members-only fashion network that's re(DE-FI)ning how the business of fashion operates. This isn’t another collective; it’s a one-stop fashion hub created and designed for connecting, expanding, and thriving right here in Southwest Ohio. Our House is your ultimate destination for resources from across the country, this is where industry changemakers come to collaborate, disrupt, and create.
Are you ready to step into the future of fashion? Request your invitation to join us and change the landscape for regional fashion.
(DE-FI) Gloabl INC's The House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience
Welcome to the House of (DE-FI)ance: A Fashion & Design Co-working Experience. Our memberships are designed to be inclusive, accessible, and deeply rooted in our mission to cultivate, connect, and elevate fashion talent in Southwest Ohio and beyond. We've simplified our membership tiers to ensure clarity, sustainability, and equity.
Membership Tiers Overview
Community Access
Cost: Free – $120/year (Sliding Scale) or $15/month
Who It’s For: Middle & high school students, senior citizens (Golden Era), and verified press/media.
How It Works:
We believe opportunities should be accessible to all. That’s why Community Access is available on a sliding scale; you can contribute up to $120/year or $15/month, depending on your circumstances. If you’re able to pay, we encourage it, your support helps us to sustain programming. If you are facing a financial hardship, just let us know, we offer a confidential fee waiver application and never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.
Benefits:
Creator Access
Cost: Free – $175/year (Sliding Scale) or $20/month
Who It’s For: Independent creatives, hobbyists, or those exploring fashion for the first time.
How It Works:
This tier gets you started with community, networking, and creative confidence, a low-cost entry point for those exploring their talents. We believe opportunities should be accessible to all. That’s why Community Access is available on a sliding scale; you can contribute up to $175/year or $20/month, depending on your circumstances. If you’re able to pay, we encourage it, your support helps us to sustain programming. If you are facing a financial hardship, just let us know, we offer a confidential fee waiver application and never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.
Benefits:
All Community Access, plus:
Builder Access
Cost: Free – $250/year (Sliding Scale) or $25/month)
Who It’s For: College students, working models, emerging beauty professionals, and serious creatives.
How It Works:
Pay annually for savings or monthly for flexibility. This tier includes added career support and talent-building resources. We believe opportunities should be accessible to all. That’s why Community Access is available on a sliding scale; you can contribute up to $250/year or $25/month, depending on your circumstances. If you’re able to pay, we encourage it, your support helps us to sustain programming. If you are facing a financial hardship, just let us know, we offer a confidential fee waiver application and never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.
Benefits:
All Creator Access benefits, plus:
Pro Access
Cost: Free – $350/year (Sliding Scale) or $30/month)
Who It’s For: Entrepreneurs, fashion and beauty professionals, and established creatives ready to scale.
How It Works:
Pay annually for savings or monthly for flexibility. This tier includes added career support and talent-building resources. We believe opportunities should be accessible to all. That’s why Community Access is available on a sliding scale; you can contribute up to $250/year or $25/month, depending on your circumstances. If you’re able to pay, we encourage it, your support helps us to sustain programming. If you are facing a financial hardship, just let us know, we offer a confidential fee waiver application and never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.
Benefits:
All Builder Access benefits, plus:
Review our Community Guidelines.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
– African Proverb
Every great business starts with an idea, but let’s be honest—that’s just the beginning. The real challenge? Turning that idea into something viable, sustainable, and impactful.
The Build-A-Brand Experience isn’t your typical business class. We’re
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
– African Proverb
Every great business starts with an idea, but let’s be honest—that’s just the beginning. The real challenge? Turning that idea into something viable, sustainable, and impactful.
The Build-A-Brand Experience isn’t your typical business class. We’re not here to waste your time with things you could Google or free templates for you’ll never use. Instead, we focus on the unseen and often-overlooked challenges that can make or break your journey:
Why Build-A-Brand?
This immersive experience is designed to give you the tools, strategies, and mindset you need to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship. This is where aspiring, emerging, and established business leaders come to break the mold and learn what it takes to create something meaningful.
We go beyond the basics—this isn’t a one-size-fits-all, hyped-up session about chasing dreams and you won't hear any motivational speakers. It’s about giving you real tools and real talk to help you build a business that aligns with your goals and withstands the pressures of the market.
At the House of (DE-FI)ance, the Build-A-Brand Experience takes a bold, structured approach to turning your idea into a thriving business. We don’t just talk about your vision—we help you bring it to life.
Our Process
The Build-A-Brand Experience is more than just a series of steps—it’s a transformative journey that equips you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to own your brand, master your market, and define your success.
Ready to make it happen? Let’s build.
What You’ll Gain
During the Build-A-Brand Experience, you’ll:
The Human Side of Business
We understand that success isn’t just about numbers—it’s about sustainability, health, and balance. That’s why we also address:
Why Us? Why Here?
The Build-A-Brand Experience is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to tackle the realities of entrepreneurship head-on. While others might hype you up with generic advice, we’re here to offer actionable solutions that meet you where you are and help you go further than you imagined.
This is more than a workshop—it’s a reality check and a roadmap. It’s a place where big ideas meet practical strategies and where you become the business leader you were meant to be.
Welcome to the Build-A-Brain Experience. #ThisIsOurHouse
Ugh, not another networking event. Insert facepalm. Let’s face it, networking can be the actual worst. Introverts dread it, extroverts endure it, and honestly, who enjoys the awkward small talk, forced smiles, and endless exchanges of business cards that lead nowhere?
But here’s the thing—you can’t grow your brand, business, or connecti
Ugh, not another networking event. Insert facepalm. Let’s face it, networking can be the actual worst. Introverts dread it, extroverts endure it, and honestly, who enjoys the awkward small talk, forced smiles, and endless exchanges of business cards that lead nowhere?
But here’s the thing—you can’t grow your brand, business, or connections without meeting new people. So, we’ve ditched the tired, happy-hour-meet-and-mingle vibes for something fresh, bold, and downright flirty (but all business). Welcome to Brain Dayton, the brain-dating experience only (DE-FI) could dream up.
What’s Brain Dayton All About?
First things first: no, this isn’t a hookup event. But we are stealing a page from the dating playbook to revolutionize how you connect with people who can help your brand thrive. Just like dating, brain-dating focuses on finding the right fit.
Think about it: when you’re dating, you probably have a list of attributes, characteristics, or shared interests that you’re looking for in a significant other. Now, take that same concept and apply it to your business or brand.
Write down the answers. Get clear on who you need to fill the gaps in your business or brand. Then, get ready to swerve into purposeful connections at Brain Dayton and, as we like to say, get your date on—sew to speak.
How Does It (W-E-R-K)?
Imagine this: instead of mindless mingling, you get curated conversations tailored to what you actually need. Our 45-minute brain-dating sessions are designed to match you with the people who can help you brainstorm, problem-solve, and build. Think of it as speed-dating for your career.
Here’s what you’ll experience:
Why Brain Dayton?
Because traditional networking is outdated and shallow. After surviving a global pandemic and an industry tailspin, we need deep, purposeful interactions that lead to real collaborations. Brain Dayton is where fashion, design, textile, and business professionals come to find their missing puzzle pieces—without the fluff.
And if you’re worried about the “dating” term, don’t stress. Call it brain-working, brain-connecting, or brain-bossing. Call it what you want—just know it’s not the basic networking event you’re used to.
Ready to Get Your Brain-Date On?
Who needs Google when you can get answers, ideas, and solutions directly from people who get it? Whether you’re here to brainstorm, collaborate, or finally fill that gap in your team, Brain Dayton is your ticket to a smarter, more impactful network.
This is networking—(DE-FI) style. This is our house. Let’s brain-date.
Dayton, Ohio. The birthplace of aviation, the cash register, the self-starter, and countless other innovations that changed the world. But here’s the thing—none of those achievements happened without competition.
Take the Wright Brothers. They weren’t the first to dream of flight. At least 11 flying machines preceded the Wright B Flyer.
Dayton, Ohio. The birthplace of aviation, the cash register, the self-starter, and countless other innovations that changed the world. But here’s the thing—none of those achievements happened without competition.
Take the Wright Brothers. They weren’t the first to dream of flight. At least 11 flying machines preceded the Wright B Flyer. What set the right Brothers apart? Competition. It pushed them to innovate, to refine, and to become leaders in their field.
Why Competition Matters
Let’s be real—it’s survival of the fittest. To thrive in the fashion industry, designers must step up their game, stay relevant, and consistently deliver excellence. That’s what competition does:
Take the top four fashion weeks in the world—New York, Paris, Milan, and London. These powerhouses didn’t just compete—they collaborated to create Fashion Month, a global phenomenon that kicks off in New York before moving to London, Milan, and Paris. In a major market like New York, where resources are abundant, staying relevant is a constant battle.
This is why the House of (DE-FI)ance exists: to provide regional fashion and design talent with the resources, support, and competitive edge needed to rise above the noise.
Collaboration + Competition = Success
At (DE-FI), we’ve always believed that regional fashion organizations need to emerge and thrive for the Dayton and Southwest Ohio markets to flourish. We’ve backed up this belief by:
But let’s make one thing clear: we don’t compromise our values or ethics for popularity. Supporting the growth of this region’s fashion community is a priority—but we refuse to align with anything that doesn’t reflect our core values.
Why Collapetitive Collabitation Works
Competition isn’t just valuable—it’s critical. Ask any investor what they want to know before funding a business:
If you say, “I don’t have competition” or “I’m my own competition,” guess what? The door closes. Investors assume:
You need competition. It drives markets forward and keeps you sharp. And in our house, competition isn’t a dirty word—it’s a necessity.
More than just a shared co-working space, the House of (DE-FI)ance is proud to launch Collapetitive Collabitation, where fashion and design talent come together to collaborate, compete, and cohabitate under one roof. This isn’t about tearing each other down—it’s about pushing each other to grow, innovate, and thrive.
In our house, collaboration is a valued necessity, and competition is the fuel that keeps the market alive.
Since 2013, (DE-FI) has been a force to be reckoned with, reshaping the regional fashion landscape and inspiring organizations worldwide to do more for their talent. Locally, we’ve influenced countless businesses and incubator initiatives in the Gem City to follow our lead by fusing community outreach with innovation to address needs and
Since 2013, (DE-FI) has been a force to be reckoned with, reshaping the regional fashion landscape and inspiring organizations worldwide to do more for their talent. Locally, we’ve influenced countless businesses and incubator initiatives in the Gem City to follow our lead by fusing community outreach with innovation to address needs and make dreams come true.
But let’s be clear: the fashion industry is a business. You don’t need a background in fashion or design to succeed at the House of (DE-FI)ance—you need a vision and a willingness to work. We’re here to provide the business support and resources that so many creatives struggle to find.
Whether you’re just starting out, seeking impartial advice, or an established brand looking to refresh or restructure, we’ve got you covered.
Your Business Is Our Business
The Dreamforce Business Consulting services are designed to help you achieve your goals without having to leave Southwest Ohio. We focus on:
It’s time to go beyond the numbers and build relationships that foster growth. We’re here to help you thrive, boost your bottom line, and amplify your brand recognition.
How the Dreamforce Supports You
Business Management
Business Analysis
Accounting
Branding & Rebranding
Social Media Marketing
Let’s face it—if you’re not on social media, you’re not really present. Our experts can help you with:
Graphic Design
Your visuals tell your story. Let our team help you create:
Photography
Capture the perfect shot with professional services, including:
Videography
Bring your vision to life through:
E-Commerce
Whether it’s business-to-business, consumer-to-business, or consumer-to-consumer, our e-commerce experts help you navigate the digital marketplace.
Writers
From websites and blogs to press releases, our writers will help you tell your story.
Life Coaching
When the road gets tough, our life coaches will help you regain focus, stay inspired, and move forward with confidence.
Mentors
Need advice? Our mentors are here to guide you through your next big steps, whether you’re thriving, stuck, or just need someone to talk to.
Financial Planners
Money matters. Whether you don’t have enough or don’t know what to do with what you’ve got, our financial planners are here to help.
Why the Dreamforce?
Because success isn’t just about hard work—it’s about having the right support to make informed decisions and seize every opportunity. At the Dreamforce, we provide you with the tools, expertise, and network to take your business or brand to the next level.
Ready to turn your dreams into reality? The House of (DE-FI)ance Dreamforce Business Consulting is here to make it happen.
This is our house. Let’s build your success together.
Copyright © 2025 (DE-FI) Global INC - All Rights Reserved.
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We’re currently refreshing and updating our website including important forms and features to better serve you! Some areas may be temporarily unavailable as we work behind the scenes. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Our goal is to have everything updated and ready by Tuesday, July 8th.In the meantime, be on the lookout for invitations and RSVP links for Dayton Fashion Week. Emails will come from:info@defiglobalinc.com with a sender name: (DE-FI) Global INC. Make sure to check your inbox and spam folders deadlines are approaching!