This spring marks 17-year-old-high school senior Mitchell Henderson’s third season showing at Omaha Fashion Week. Mitchell’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection is inspired by the movie Blade Runner and based on America’s failing infrastructure.
“It’s something that’s been prevalent in America’s politics and I feel like it’s really relevant to portray that in a collection right now,” Mitchell told us.
Through the use of heavier fabrics like camel hair and denim, deconstructed design elements and details like raw edges and fringe, Mitchell weaves together his commentary on American infrastructure. He has even embroidered phrases in Mandarin like “together we rise, together we fall” on pieces throughout the collection. “I really like the idea of having social and political messages in my work,” Mitchell says. “I feel like it makes [the pieces] a lot stronger and a lot more meaningful.”
Mitchell says his target customer is someone who wants to push the boundaries of what modern, ready-to-wear fashion is. He wants consumers of his work to have a message about each piece and be able to tell a story about it. Mitchell plans to further hone his design skills, studying fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt Institute or The London College of Fashion, after graduating high school this spring.
Get Tickets to see Mitchell Saturday, February 25th on the Omaha Fashion Week runway and check out his website before the show.