Omaha Fashion Week is lifting the veil and showing off behind the scenes in our Fall 2024 VERUS Season. This season's designers draw inspiration from the natural world and repurposed materials while exploring themes of community and cultural heritage.
We are thrilled to present an amazing lineup of Emerging Designers showcasing in the first half! Emerging Designers are either brand new to the OFW runway, student designers, or veteran designers trying out a completely new method of creation. We will close the show with an incredible lineup of inspiring collections by our Featured Designers. This designer track is full of experts at their craft who will showcase high-quality, ready-to-buy looks on the runway.
Meet Friday Night’s Designers below:
EMERGING DESIGNERS:
Emerging Designers:
Alexander Napier | Dillon Napier | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
My passion for creativity, the allure of self-expression through clothing, and the desire to blend artistry with functionality inspired me to pursue a career in fashion design. Whether it was a fascination with fabrics, a love for exploring different styles and trends, or the joy of seeing my designs come to life, my journey as a fashion designer is driven by a deep-seated passion for the craft.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
I’m really inspired by the work of Madame Gres and Charles James in the mid 20th Century. I love the beautiful draping and unique silhouettes they created.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
Lest We Forget is a vintage inspired collection influenced by London’s rich history, crafted to evoke timeless elegance with a modern flare.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
The opportunity to showcase my designs on the Omaha Fashion Week runway excites me because it provides a platform to share my unique perspective and creativity with a diverse audience. The energy of the event, combined with the chance to connect with fellow designers, industry professionals, and fashion enthusiasts, fuels my excitement to present my latest collections and see them come to life on the runway.
Cherish | Cherish Perkins | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I developed a deep interest for fashion and the concept of expressing myself through clothes when I was five years old. Growing up, I always saw my grandmother dressed fashionably in clothes that she reinvented herself, which gave me the idea to create my own. Ultimately, I just want to empower people with my apparel so they may "Embrace Every Moment While Cherishing Their Inner Self."
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
My fashion icons are Rihanna, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Zendaya. My designer inspirations are Coco Chanel, Virgil Abloh, Christian Dior, and Vera Wang.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
Preppy fashion style served as inspiration for my collection. Traditional American fashion, particularly the Ivy League aesthetic and the patchwork style of the 1970s. There will be various mixtures of bold, powerful, and sophisticated looks.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
Being a part of Omaha Fashion Week excites me greatly because it will allow me to show off my talent on a bigger stage. Additionally demonstrating my growth and progress as a designer since my 2018 Omaha Fashion Week High School Student Showcase mini collection.
Elsie's Attic | Nicole Daberkow | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I've been sewing clothing for over two decades. My path to designing my own pieces started with me thinking "I could make that myself" just about anytime an article of clothing stood out to me but was out of my budget. Eventually, I found it to be just as artistically satisfying as any other medium.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Sara Camposarcone is my style icon. She reminds me in times of self-doubt that above all, fashion should be FUN!
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
My collection is an elevated take on "dress up at Grandma's house". This sustainable collection is made entirely with second-hand materials repurposed to compliment vintage-inspired silhouettes.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I'm a (mostly) self-taught sewist and fashion designer. I applied for Omaha Fashion Week to prove to myself that I'm good enough to occupy the runway with the other incredibly talented designers that present at OFW.
Matriaca Studio | Natalia Bermeo | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
My designs are deeply inspired and informed by the Ecuadorian women in my family, particularly the maternal figures, whose expertise in weaving, knitting, crocheting, and their profound connection with nature guide my creative process. Their rich heritage and skills are the cornerstone of my artistic vision.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
André Courrèges and Alexander McQueen are my greatest inspirations; their playful yet deeply introspective designs motivate me to pioneer Ecuadorian traditions in the modern era. Their influential work shapes my approach to integrating cultural heritage with contemporary fashion.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
My work draws inspiration from traditional Ecuadorian clothing and the space age's emphasis on envisioning the future, creating a dialogue between past craftsmanship and futuristic possibilities. Ecuadorian culture and crafts, which have been fighting extinction since the onset of colonization, are revitalized in my designs that look to the past for guidance while exploring new dimensions for the future. This fusion represents a new frontier in fashion, where heritage meets innovation.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I am thrilled to showcase my collection at Omaha Fashion Week, a platform that perfectly aligns with the personal and technically demanding nature of my work. This event not only allows me to demonstrate the depth of my design process, which has been brewing for some time, but also provides the opportunity to connect with like-minded designers and witness everyone's creations come to life on the runway.
Refuse Art | Viy | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I've always loved clothes and dressing up, and I’ve also always been good at looking at things and seeing the different ways I can use what around me to create. I grew up having to wear a uniform and that really instilled this idea of clothes as a form of self expression and therefore rebellion. I’ve always found myself at this point of trying to have fun with my appearance and have thus been thinking more about how clothing is a form of utilitarian art that turns the wearer into a living work of art and the power that our clothes give us, and we give it.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood are my idols, I admire their don’t give a fuck attitude and the power their garments enable in the person wearing them. I'm also really inspired by Dadaism as an art movement. I love their DIY attitude and the way they completely destroyed the idea of art, what it looks like and who can make it. They introduced nonsense to the art world because they saw the whole world and the systems around them as nonsense and at a time when the world around them was falling apart, what else could they do but make nonsense? Also, Lada Gaga, the music video for Telephone specifically I can’t stop thinking about.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
I’m both inspired and appalled by the amount of waste we produce and all the shit that is just out there. But I also think that it’s full of so much potential. As an artist, someone who hates repeating outfits, and is yet disgusted by the amount of things being manufactured and produced in our society only to be wasted, I've found my niche of creating things with refuse to satisfy both my desire to create and desire to have new things while not giving into the waste systems. I also see fashion as a form of refusal and through how I choose to look and dress myself I can subvert various systems regarding things like gender and consumption.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about how the first time I looked at this application was when I was in high school and have always just told myself this wasn’t something I was capable of doing so going from telling myself that to the realization of like I can to this, and then to I did do it.
the unfinished archive | Alex Graff | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I wanted to learn how to repair my own clothing, and it spiraled from there. I just started doing larger and larger projects and repairs until, one day I was making whole pieces.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Virgil Abloh, of Off-white and Louis Vuitton, is a huge inspiration, his "get it done" and "do what you want" attitude help me to remember to keep creating. Martin Margiela is also a huge inspiration, his use of second hand of offhand materials was groundbreaking.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
The title of my Collection is "Working on Myself", it's inspired by the work that actual laborers do. Streetwear takes lots of inspiration from workwear, and I am putting my spin on it from second hand materials.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I had a blast the first time I showed at Omaha Fashion Week. I met lots of great people and got a lot of inspiration. I have lots of ideas to improve for my second time around.
FEATURED DESIGNERS:
adria renee | Adria Harvey | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
Fashion has always played a huge role in how I share who I am with the world and connect with others. Finding geek couture has taken that a step further by also allowing me to share the things I love in order to connect with others as well. So often, women have to settle for graphic tees or youthful offerings if they want to show their fandom, but through geek couture I have been able to share my fandom in ways that are both feminine and elevated, and build community through shared interests.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
I find a lot of inspiration from vintage and historical fashion, and while I do look up to many designers, the primary inspiration point for all of my work is pop-culture and fandom.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
This collection is inspired by my experience as a fangirl, my love for Star Wars, and the kind of hope and rebellion that is evoked by nostalgia that many of us carry for this franchise. Many garments evoke that grounding nostalgia incorporating familiar images or quotes, but also carry with them a streak of punk rebellion: by completely reimaging familiar (rough, masculine) elements in feminine and beautiful ways it’s providing a subtle message that this is not your old man’s Star Wars.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
My work has been featured across many convention stages, but I am so excited to bring the concept and mission of geek couture to a wider audience at Omaha Fashion Week! Connecting with other fans through fashion is the ultimate goal, and I can think of no place better!
Altered State | Andrew Hale | Follow on Instagram
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
The collection this season takes the majority of references from WWII Dazzle Ships. The name refers to the bright and bold camoflaug paint job. This phenomenon is referred to as a Mandela Effect. The looks will tell the story of an apocalypse, both during and after a global disaster.
Angela B. | Angela Balderston
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I've been designing & making clothes since I was a kid - I think all designers do. It was about 15 years ago after a major identity crisis that OFW inspired me to find myself again.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Mostly the ones with the wild & fantastically mad creations - imagination & not scared to take risks! Schiapparelli, Gaultier, Mugler, Galliano & of course the King of them all, McQueen
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
It started off with the idea of a young Sophia Loren on the Italian Riviera but then morphed. I didn't ever think I'd do evening gowns, but I couldn't resist so I have 1 that reminds me of Erté, another that makes me think of a lovely young girl on the beach - it's the colors & the technique that I use that inspire me. I feel touches of Erte in one of my evening gowns.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I'm really really excited to be showing a very different aspect of my work. Yes, it's still a bit quirky but actually wearable which I haven't done before - I think it's scared me, but I've managed to find a way to incorporate a unique funky crochet technique that I randomly came up with that seems to work. So excited to do something new!
Bex Cermin | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I've been designing clothes since I was 6 years old, but it has never been about just the clothes. I am inspired by the person wearing the clothes, and the way a look can be pulled together to create a story. Designing clothes is my purpose and my passion. I believe that the way we present ourselves visually represents our internal stories and can tell the world our dreams, our fears, and our past.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Most of us have heard the quote from Edvard Munch, “Art comes from joy and pain, but mostly pain.” My designs are inspired by the joy we find throughout our pain. I have personally endured a long, hard, but rewarding mental health journey and am inspired by the struggles we all face and how we can turn those challenges into our superpowers.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
My 2024 OFW collection is inspired by the biophilia effect and our human needs and connections to nature. My collection represents elements found in nature in a unique way using textile methods to convey a direct experience with the natural environment.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I am excited to work within an amazing team of professionals and to present a collection to a community I have missed dearly since being removed from the industry for a few years.
Livi's Designs | Libia Pollens| Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I was first inspired by watching my mother design clothing for her clients. She put great love and care into every stitch. She loved what she did, and her passion came through in the finished garments.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
I find my inspiration in different fabrics, colors, or shapes. Sometimes, I will see a fabric, and in my head, I immediately begin designing a gown with it. Other times, I see a sleeve or a sash, and it begins the design process in my head.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
I wanted to design a collection for the modern bride. The modern bride is fearless. She is not afraid to mix colors or fabrics. She wants a gown that reflects her confident personality!
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I am excited to let my creativity out. Omaha Fashion Week is known as one of the biggest fashion design events of the year. What designer wouldn't want to showcase her designs on its stage?
You’re not going to want to miss these incredible and innovative collections by our Emerging, Featured, and Headlining Designers showing on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Omaha Fashion Week Fall 2024 VERUS Season.
Cover Photo | Debra Kaplan
Runway Sponsor | Milan Laser