Longtime Columbus resident Renée Owen was sitting poolside in Costa Rica on a vacation she took with her husband David in May, resting with cucumbers on her eyes. When she looked up, she saw a woman crocheting while sitting in a nearby pool chair.
But what started as a chance encounter led to Renée spending more time with the crocheter – fashion designer, Founder and Executive Producer of CMG Worldwide Fashion Weeks Lacie Cupani. By the end of her trip, Renée said, Cupani invited her to walk runways in New York and Paris.
“When Lacie sat down with us at our last dinner in Costa Rica and said, ‘Would you like to walk the runway in New York and Paris?’ (my husband and I) both just looked at each other and said ‘Sure,’” Renée told The Dispatch Thursday.
Renée had never modeled before, she said, though she was very interested in fashion and started paying attention to runway shows and fashion magazines in junior high school. But her career took her toward the medical field, as she worked as a registered nurse for many years, eventually helping to open a laser surgery center.
Renée retired from her medical role a few years ago, but she still did not consider stepping into the fashion world until Cupani encouraged her to apply for two shows with CMG Worldwide Fashion Weeks – CMG New York City and CMG Paris. Eventually, Renée was accepted to both shows.
With events around the New York show set for Sept. 5-8, Renée started preparing. At 61 years old, she knew she would have to put in extra effort to be comfortable walking in stilettos and keeping her balance. She practiced her walk, learning from YouTube videos.
“I practiced a lot, and I spent a lot of time on shoes,” Renée said. “I didn’t want to wear granny shoes. I wanted to be able to wear the stilettos, but they had to be comfortable.”
While Renée was nervous about how her age would affect her walk, Cupani said her shows are all about diversity and inclusivity, including models of all ages. CMG also intentionally charges designers less than other events, to help designers show their work without going into debt.
“CMG is all about the ages and all complexions,” Cupani told The Dispatch Friday. “We invited people from around the world, and we operate on four continents. … So we invited everyone because everyone should be dressed.”
Still, Renée was the first model from Mississippi to ever be invited to a CMG show since they started in 2013, according to a fact sheet Cupani sent The Dispatch.
When the time came, she and her husband drove up to New York. When Renée arrived, she was whisked into a few days of limousine rides, photo shoots, boat cruises and more, all of which were photo opportunities surrounding the actual day of the fashion show.
The CMB New York City Fashion Week Grand Show was held Sept. 7 at the TRYP Hotel by Wyndham in Times Square and featured six designers. The New York show, Cupani said, also included about 30 models from all over the world.
On the runway
Before Renée arrived, she did not know the show would include so many designers or that she would have to change quickly between looks. But she tried to adjust quickly.
Renée had her makeup and hair done by artist Rakia Marashi, and she got dressed into pieces from the 2025 Spring-Summer Fashion Collections from designers Occasions by Jing and Cupani Fashion during that show.
When Renée stepped onto the runway for the first time, it wasn’t picture perfect right away.
“My first step out, I was following someone, and she went the wrong way, and then Lacie told her to go back,” Renée said. “So that totally messed me up, and then I got in trouble for walking too fast.”
Still, Renée adjusted again, trying to focus on Cupani’s belief in her when she was selected. Other models complimented her and encouraged her backstage as well, she said, though many of them were competing against each other for the judges’ Top 10 spots.
“She was with a lot of good people that were vying for that model spot,” David Owen, who watched both shows Renée walked in, told The Dispatch Friday. “But she held her own, and I was really pleased with her.”
After Renée finished walking in New York, she flew to Europe, where she and her husband spent a few weeks traveling while waiting for the Paris events between Oct. 4-8, with the Grand Show at Hotel Inn CDG Paris on Oct. 5.
The Paris show, Renée said, felt a lot calmer, as it included fewer designers. There, Renée modeled collections from Be Kind, Eilaroc, and Cupani Fashion, with hair by Shin Hata and makeup by Kimberly Anderson.
While the Paris show also included a few bumps in the road, like her hair taking much longer to style than expected, it also included two of Renée’s favorite looks she wore on either runway – a green crochet dress by Cupani Fashion and a second dress with coconuts on the shoulders designed by Eilaroc, she said.
After the end of the Paris show, Renée received the “2024 CMG New York & Paris Active & Most Engaged Model” certificate. Cupani also invited her to join the next CMG show in Dubai, Renée said, but she felt satisfied with the experience she’d already had in living out her fashion dreams. She said it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
While Renée decided to sit out the Dubai show, Cupani said she saw this as a start for the Columbus model.
“Renée is an inspiration for other women,” Cupani said. “Because there are some beautiful women sitting at home, and they don’t know what to do. But I think it’s so good that she came out and she’s doing this journey to start to build her career.”
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