Open Letter to OPS Board of Education: Keep Fashion in the Curriculum

Hey everyone!  It looks like an assistant superintendent at Omaha Public Schools is proposing the elimination of all clothing and fashion classes over the next two years. The Board of Education votes on the proposal Monday, May 18.  If you are as passionate as we are about keeping creativity in schools, please consider writing to the OPS board TODAY. The decision will impact thousands of kids from all socio-economic backgrounds who have an interest in fashion.  At OFW, we believe the life skills, job experience and leadership training kids receive through fashion education will benefit them no matter what career path they choose. Check out this letter written by OFW Producer Brook Hudson for some inspiration as you write your own.  Click here for a link to the list of OPS Board of Education members. Dear OPS Board of Education Members:

I am the producer of Omaha Fashion Week and it has come to my attention that you will be voting on a curriculum change that would eliminate fashion classes in Omaha Public Schools.  I've been involved in our local fashion scene for eight years and want to share with you some information about what's happening in Omaha related to fashion and how your very own students are involved and benefiting:

-Omaha hosts the nation's fifth largest fashion event in the US - Omaha Fashion Week.  OFW is bigger than events taking place in Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Chicago. -Over 1,000 young people participate in biannual fashion events (August and March) as designers, models, stylists, hair dressers, makeup artists, visual artists, stage managers, personal assistants, reporters, photographers and videographers.  They gain leadership training and real-world job experience through these activities. -9,000 attendees support this activity each year as Omaha Fashion Week ticketholders -Omaha has become known nationally as the fashion scene with the highest concentration of high school designers.  We regularly see students who go on to top fashion schools around the world, taking with them extensive portfolios and leadership experience through our programs. -Omaha Fashion Camp takes place each summer and exposes 60 young people, ages 6-17, to the many career paths available in the fashion industry. -The Fashion Institute Midwest, a non-profit organization, is actively involved in supporting young people with an interest in fashion by providing materials grants, educational opportunities and mentoring. -The Kent Bellows Mentoring Program at the Joslyn Museum has been running a fashion program for several years now to foster the creativity of budding fashion designers. -4-H has a long history of teaching craftsmanship and proper construction to students across the state of Nebraska. -SAC Federal Credit Union has recently launched a program to provide business advice and micro-loans to small fashion startups.

I understand that there is an emphasis in schools to prepare students for "high income, high demand" jobs.  This means more focus on subjects like math and science.  Shockingly enough, there is quite a bit of math, science and even engineering involved in fashion. Learning how to create a garment challenges a young person's spatial awareness, understanding of material properties/fiber content and even fundamental skills such as using a ruler.  For many of these students, fashion is an entry point for gaining an understanding of these concepts. Our experience with Fashion Camp opened our eyes to just how powerful the topic of fashion can be in bringing these abstract and technical concepts to life for young people.

Fashion classes also prepare students for so much more than a future in fashion design.  Let's be honest...becoming a big name designer is about as difficult as becoming a professional athlete and the rise to the top often starts with many unpaid internships and low-paying jobs.  However, there are many career paths in the fashion industry that don't involve design and sewing know-how, and are much more lucrative and accessible locally than you might realize.  Fashion is a multi-disciplinary industry that incorporates business, marketing, journalism, photography, videography and graphic design, in addition to vocational fields such as hair dressing and makeup artistry.  There are also research-based fields that overlap with fashion, such as consumer psychology and human geography. The intersection of tech and fashion is also an interesting area yielding high paying jobs for young people. Fashion entrepreneurship and retail is yet another path. With the ubiquity of the internet, it is now possible for a young person to start a business and gain access to a world-wide audience.  There are already several examples of this happening right here in Omaha.  The best part?  These talented young people don't have to leave our city to have a career in the industry that interests them...and through our vibrant fashion ecosystem, they now have the support they need to explore their interests and showcase their work on a world-class runway.

Given all of this, you might be asking why it is necessary to keep fashion in the curriculum.  OPS fashion programs are a pipeline for new talent entering the Omaha fashion ecosystem.  These classes are often the starting point and a place where students of all socio-economic backgrounds can build confidence and skills to the point where extracurricular fashion activities become a goal. Without that first step in the classroom, many students will never know what is available to them in their own backyard.  Thus, they will miss out on the valuable skills and life lessons that can be learned along the way to a career, whether in fashion or another industry.  What they learn through these experiences is applicable in almost any field.

I believe America's great competitive advantage on the world stage is the creativity of its people. Outsourcing of jobs that can be automated will continue to be a threat to this generation.  We owe it to ALL of our kids to provide opportunities to flex their creative muscles in school. Fashion programming is a great way to do that.  On behalf of the entire Omaha fashion community, I ask that you vote to keep fashion classes in the OPS curriculum.

Sincerely, Brook Hudson, MBA Producer, Omaha Fashion Week

Fashion Institute Guild Exclusive: Looks from the Runway

Last night, we sipped champagne with the beautiful people of the Fashion Institute Guild, learning how to transform runway fashion into something you could actually wear on a daily basis.  The presentation was given by Guild President, Alyssa Dilts of Develop Model Management and Guild Board Member, Autumn Foland of Design Parliament.  I loved this presentation because they not only showed pictures and videos, but they also had live models showing looks that I could actually wear! It makes such a difference seeing the look live on a model.

Quick review of Spring 2015:

The big closet-friendly theme from the S/S 2015 runways is Athleisure. This trend became a "thing" when ladies wanted to look good coming from the gym.  They needed the versatility of a workout look that could go from the gym to a business lunch.  Suddenly, we saw leather bombers paired with yoga pants and smart bags...and then the $200 track suit bottom was born.  From Target to McQueen, this trend is here to stay.  You'll see Athleisure looks made out of everything from scuba fabric, to tennis shoe fabric, to cashmere spun with cotton and spandex. Its hallmarks are versatility and performance...meaning sweat-wicking properties, stretch and durability. These high-tech fabrics can be seen in dresses, skirts and tops as well as the traditional track suit.

The key to pulling this look off is to make it look purposeful.  It can easily go "Momma June" if you aren't careful with how you put it together.  Be wary of the see-through yoga pant, which really isn't a pant at all.  Pay attention to the fabric and buy quality to avoid an unintended wardrobe malfunction. Good news is, you can buy Athleisure pieces at just about any clothing retailer...Omaha options include Target, Renu at Shoppes at Legacy and Design Parliament.

Fall/Winter 2015:

Designers really took an introspective approach to this season.  Especially after Anna Wintour announced that "trend" was a dirty word.  Designers are speaking to the woman who wants to purchase an investment piece and define her own style, and they've (designers) gone back to the roots of their respective fashion houses.  Rather than focusing on trend, they are working with the ideas of individual styling and how a woman presents herself authentically to the world. Despite all of that, there were some themes that surfaced...

• Leather: We saw it in bright colors and feminine silhouettes this spring, but it's coming back in dark colors and longer lengths for fall.  We are seeing it mixed with suede, accented with fringe and cut with square shoulders for a more androgynous effect.
• Car wash skirts and flared pants are the "it" silhouettes of the season. Glad I didn't get rid of all my flared pants from college...now if I could just fit into them!
• 70's Boho is not going away any time soon. Ponchos, chunky knits, lace, shearling, velvet.
• Accessories of the moment: Statement earrings and geeky glasses.

Alyssa and Autumn also covered what we can look forward to in menswear:

• Athleisure: Track suits and trainers, some with a ballet flair
• More focus on day wear and a movement away from evening wear to more accurately reflect the lives of real men.

If you are interested in getting the inside track on the fashion scene - from the runways of Omaha to Paris - I strongly recommend joining the Fashion Institute Guild! Benefits include invites to exclusive events like this, plus special deals on OFW tickets and other exciting fashion happenings. Join the  Fashion Institute Guild  here!