After a record high number of applications and interviews, Omaha Fashion Week is excited to announce the 33 designers slated to join us on the runway this fall! August 21-26 will mark Omaha Fashion Week’s 10th Anniversary Season! Such an important milestone pushed the team to reflect on how we make Omaha Fashion Week a better experience for not only our audience of dedicated fashion fans, but for the designers who work so hard to create stunning garments.
Upon application, the 57 designer hopefuls were sorted into two tracks: Emerging and Featured Designers. Designers who are brand new to the runway, students, or trying out entirely new concepts interviewed with our Emerging Designer Selection Panel. The panel spent time with each designer to review their concepts, goals, and determine their ability to accomplish their vision. The Featured Designer Selection Panel spent time with a number of designers who are further along in their creative process, have accomplished a high quality of work and are ready to further their designer career by building their brand.
Each set of designers, Emerging and Featured, will be competing for two separate prize packages in August which were curated for their specific goals and logical next steps in mind. In addition to these prize packages, SAC Federal Credit Union will award nightly prizes of $500 to the designer with top scores for the evening.
Following a week of intense interviews and lengthy conversations, the two selection panels have selected 33 designers to present collections August 21-26.2017 at the Omaha Design Center. Check out the schedule below to see who made the cut:
Monday, Aug. 21: Emerging DesignerS: Inspire
Inspire: to fill or affect with a specified feeling; to influence or impel.
Nine Emerging Designers kick of the week drawing on inspirations from goddesses to sustainability, awareness of mental health issues to overcoming obstacles.
AFIELDA
Augusta Overy
Noelle Designs
Makenzie Lesiak Designs
Single Handedly Liz
Tirza Beam
Tú
Victoria Raile
Zaftig Kitty
Tuesday, Aug. 22: Emerging DesignerS: Empower
Empower: to give power or authority to; to enable or permit.
Eight Emerging Designers set out to clothe their muses in confidence and tell a story with their garments.
Crystal Brakhage Designs
Em's Trends
Makaylee Gayed Designs
Miranda Hanson
m0d
Re'ChaunStyles
Stella B
VANYA DESIGNS
Wednesday, Aug. 23: Featured DesignerS: Vivid
Vivid: Strikingly bright or intense; full of life.
Eight Featured Designers bring highly artistic collections to life with a variety of creative stimuli ranging from abstract masters to decomposition to the grunge era.
AJK
Buf Reynolds
Christopher Di Giorgio
Fella featuring Margie Trembley Chapeaux
Jane Round
Roger Figueroa
SuShe by J. Tracey
The Passionate Lion featuring artist Stephen Kavanaugh
Thursday, Aug. 24: Featured DesignerS: Essence
Essence: the basic, real and invariable nature of a thing.
Eight distinguished Featured Designers draw from the influences of nature and found items to create unique garments give the wearer a sense of being their truest self.
Alesha Beth
Amanda Casarez
Judy Bales Designs
Madyssen Jean
Nuevintage
Parodi Designs
Rebel Vogue & RF Look
Friday, Aug. 25: Homecoming
Join Omaha Fashion Week as we reminisce on the last 10 years by inviting back previous designers. Curated collections representing each year of Omaha Fashion Week’s history will feature some of the most iconic looks to hit the catwalk as well as some fan favorites. It is a night you won’t want to miss!
Saturday, Aug. 26: VIP Runway Finale
Throughout the week, each selection panel will be on the lookout for the best of the best. The top five designers from each track will compete for the Emerging Designer Prize Package and Featured Designer Prize Package during the VIP Runway Finale.
Sunday morning, Aug. 27: Shop the Runway Sunday
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Omaha Design Center join the OFW Team for a “breakfast of champions” featuring a mimosa and bloody mary bar and donuts from Petit’s Bakery! Guests will have the opportunity to shop the collections featured on the runway that week and meet the designers behind the clothing! Free and open to the public!
Snag the best deal of the year—Season Tickets are available for a limited time only April 17-30 at omahafashionweek.com/tickets. Headline designers and pre-show entertainment will be announced at a later date.
MEET THE DESIGNERS
EMERGING DESIGNERS:
AFIELDA- designer Elda Doamekpo currently pursuing a degree in Business Management and Fashion, Elda decribers her design aesthetic as timeless, edgy, and classy. Her new collection is inspired by her West African heritage and the Yoruba Goddess.
Augusta Overy-recent graduate of Fashion Design at Central Michigan University, this Missouri native designer is inspired by ocean sustainability and incorporates handmade elements such as yarn collages and wire pieces into her evening wear collection.
Crystal Brakhage Designs- recent graduate raised in the small town of Tobias, NE, Crystal is planning a Black and Gold evening wear collection featuring her original fringe and unique vinyl strapwork.
Em’s Trends- high school student, Emily Pillard is a custom special occasion designer inspired by nature and florals. Emily believes that every girl deserves to feel confident and beautiful which is reflected in her designs.
Noelle Designs- 17-year-old high school student, Ciara Fortun, will portray the inner struggle of the creative process while highlighting the lack of societal address to mental health issues.
Makaylee Gayed Designs- Lincoln-based women and childrenswear designer presenting a “mommy and me” resort wear collection.
Makenzie Lesiak- current student at University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design who specializes in evening wear. Her collection “Self Destruction” will highlight the realities of global warming.
Miranda Hanson Designs-17-year-old student designer presents an evening wear collection featuring couture techniques inspired by the forest. Hand dying, layering, beading, and fabric manipulation will be featured throughout.
m0d- high school student designer, Paige Modlin, is an aspiring streetwear fashion designer for men and women. Paige focuses on color theory and is inspired by bringing something into existence.
Re’ChaunStyles- designer Demetria Geralds began sewing at the age of ten. She has combined her adventurous spirit with experiences from her Air Force career to design “garments that tell a story from materials that have a story.”
Single Handedly Liz- 23-year-old designer, Liz Scarpino has use of only one arm due to a Brachial Plexus birth injury. Liz has never let her limited mobility stop her, finding innovative ways to approach the typical design process to create clothing that empowers women.
Stella B-University of Nebraska-Lincoln student majoring in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising aspiring to create her own brand and create a new collection, Dreamscape inspired by “spur-of-the-moment” actions.
Tirzah Beam- ready-to-wear designer who began sewing at the age of seven. Her creations are thoughtful and feminine with a focus on detail, shape and structure of the garment.
Tú-Vietnamese-American designer, Austin Do, mixes urban streetwear with luxury and high fashion elements inspired by his Vietnamese name Tú, meaning luxuriant and beautiful.
VANYA DESIGNS- Alicia Ybarra designs exquisite custom pieces for the real woman that reflects her beauty, inspires her towards love and brings her dreams to life.
Victoria Raile- Des Moines based, her streetwear collection, “Burn”, is inspired by the image of a rose on a burnt wooden board.
Zaftig Kitty- student designer, Korinne Zimmerman has always loved fashion, but struggled to find trendy clothing with a good fit. Korinne is passionate about designing quality clothing for the plus size market.
FEATURED DESIGNERS:
AJK-designer Andy Kollath returns to the OFW runway with a full menswear line inspired by renowned artists Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.
Alesha Beth- college student designer, Alesha Johnson focuses on high quality materials and finishing to provide a long-lasting luxury product. Classic silhouettes with exquisite detailing and functional surprises are present throughout her work.
Amanda Casarez- based in Washington D.C., her brand is an advanced contemporary womenswear line mixing a bold linear aesthetic and masculine approach to clothing.
Buf Reynolds- self-taught designer who has been featured in every year of Omaha Fashion Week since it’s inception in 2008. Her new collection is inspired by decomposition and a photo series entitled, “Your Corpse is Beautiful.”
Christopher Di Giorgio- Colorado-based menswear designer heavily inspired by urban and pop culture. Christopher’s new line is inspired by the grunge era of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Fella featuring Margie Trembley Chapeaux-local designers Fella Vaughn and Margie Trembley Chaupeaux collaborate on a Japanese J-Pop inspired collection featuring a bold mix ov color in pattern in Fella’s garments and Margie’s exquisite headwear.
Jane Round- Omaha-native turned New-Yorker working full time in the fashion industry. She designs elevated women's sportswear using natural fiber fabrics and yarns, which have been dyed and printed by hand.
Jillian Fellers- dreamy, ethereal wedding wear for the fashion-forward bride. Taking notes from the most iconic styles of the 20th century, Jillian’s gowns offer high style with soft, romantic appeal. Jillian is based in Lincoln where she lives with her husband and two children.
Judy Bales Design- building on 25 years of experience as a fiber artist, sculptor, avant-garde fashion designer and public artist; Judy Bales creates fashion art that is the exciting and improbable marriage of cold industrial materials and the sensuality of nature.
Madyssen Jean- self-taught designer Madyssen Hrlevich wants to capture assertive feminine qualities while maintaining her signature tailored brand. Clothes should feel effortless with a high-end look.
Nuevintage- designer Terri Jen Buckner upcycles and repurposes vintage garments into one-of-a-kind designs and statement pieces.
Parodi Designs- local designer, Abbey Parodi, currently employed as a Creative Costumer in Walt Disney World, incorporates texture, style and silhouettes into a mix that make her trendy female client feel strong, confident and beautiful.
Rebel Vogue & RF Look- Alejandra Buenrostro of Rebel Vogue teams up with Kylie Revense and Hannah Flores of RF Look to present a new collection, Divine Elements. Their desires for self-expression, creation and diverse aesthetics brought them together with a vision to create something that is one of a kind.
Roger Figueroa- born in Mexico, Roger attributes his love of culture to his upbringing. His collection this season will feature androgynous silhouettes, big collars, draped fabrics and layers of fabric.
SuShe by J. Tracey- Nebraska-bred New Yorker, Juantiesha Christian designs collections comprised of fun, whimsical and eclectic daywear looks for women seeking to stand out in a crowd. SuShe seeks to represent woman of different body types, as fashion should be enjoyed by every woman!
The Passionate Lion featuring artist Stephen Kavanaugh- New York City designer, Tamara Kurtenbach, uses her platform of fashion to promote personal elevation, social consciousness, and freedom of the mind. Joining forces with acclaimed street artist Stephen Kavanaugh, the duo will present “Fable”; a climactic adventure of vibrant, whimsical, militant, chic, edgy, and organic fashion, born out of the intersection of fashion and street art.