Costume designer Andrew Hale is bringing his blend of narrative, theatre and fashion to Omaha Fashion Week for the first time.
The 17-year-old Kearney High school student says the aim of his collection is “to suspend the moments that come between simple emotions.”
Inspired by late French actor and mime Marcel Marceau’s character Bip the Clown; Andrew has created an origin story and a narrative of lost love, a lost soul and a journey of uncertainty that he will illustrate through his runway show.
The runway story begins with natural materials like muslin and cotton in light colors and earth tones and then transitions into black satins and leather.
Andrew says the character Bip was described as “encompassing life and death and the tragedy and joy within what we live.” He says his iteration of Bip is caught in a limbo. “It’s very pessimistic and it’s not very happy, but it’s a reality," he says.
The painting Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth also provided inspiration for Andrew's collection. "It's the idea that we don't really know what direction we're going in," he says.
The collection tackles the thought that we are all perpetually headed toward something that we cannot escape, noting a sort of cynical realization that it will one day catch up to us. What 'it' is that chases the models throughout the show is as specific as it is vague, much as in our own lives, Andrew shares.
Get tickets to witness this one-of-a-kind runway show happening Thursday Feb 23. Learn more about Andrew Hale Designs here.