Omaha Fashion Week is kicking off another season August 20-25, and we are thrilled to share more about our amazing lineup of designers!
Historical inspiration and retro vibes bring Kate Lavender's women's loungewear collection to life. Inspired by trends from the late 1920s, you'll see pieces that are voluminous, functional, and elegant.
How did you get into fashion? Share a little about your background.
I grew up around design and fabric. My mother was an interior designer and I spent most of my childhood in fabric stores. I mostly started out making pieces for myself for fun, and continued with a degree in creative writing. During my time pursuing that degree, I realized how much time I was spending researching and planning the clothes the characters were wearing. I eventually realized I wanted to study clothing history more thoroughly. I decided I wanted to use that study to inform my designs.
Portrait of the designer, by Nicole Cudzilo.
Describe your brand and the point of view you wish to convey.
My brand focuses on loungewear, beachwear, and lingerie with a historically informed perspective. My designs are based on various moments from 1920-1945. I hope to use fashion as a way to teach wearers tidbits about history and connect them to the past through the garments.
What are your personal goals, or goals for your brand?
I hope to have both an online and physical boutique for my designs. I also hope to connect my design work to my historical fiction and non-fiction writing for an immersive experience. I have also recently gotten into surface design, and am looking forward to incorporating that into my brand as well.
On the Borsheims Red Carpet during the UNL Student Showcase. (L to R: Lauren Dunn, Kate Lavender, Samantha Salinas
Describe your favorite project(s) that you have worked on.
My favorite project was a robe I helped work on when I interned at Dottie’s Delights last year! My second favorite is a knit golfing dress with a cowl neck and pleats. I really like the pattern I came up with and can’t wait to make it in other colors and fabrics. I also really enjoyed creating a silk velvet devore bed jacket, and want to explore that technique further in the future.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I look to old movies and archived magazines from the time periods I study for my inspiration.
Describe some of the specific inspiration for your new collection.
The inspiration from this collection comes from the concept of the "hostess pajama" of the late 1920s and early 1930s. They utilized wide, flowing pant outfits that appeared to be dresses. This style combined comfort and elegance, and is something I love to capture in my designs.
What kind of materials do you plan to use and why?
I will be using silk satin and a silk/rayon velvet. These materials reflect the lush and opulent feel of the silver screen boudoir.
Kate Lavender in a pair of beach pyjama bottoms, the pattern of which will inspire a few of the hostess pyjama bottoms in her upcoming collection.
What kind of special processes will you use and what effect will it have on your work?
I will be dyeing, beading, and in some cases applying devore to the velvet to make it unique and completely customizable. The techniques will add textures and layers of extra interest to the pieces.
Is this a new approach for you or is it consistent throughout your work?
I have used most of these processes before in other pieces, but will bring them together in this collection. The exception is the beading. I have previously experimented with beading, but have not previously used it on garments.
To learn more about Kate and her work, visit her website and follow along on Facebook and Instagram as she continues to prepare for the runway! And be sure to grab tickets to Omaha Fashion Week August 20th-25th!