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.
This season’s headlining designers include previous Golden Sheers Award Winners, OFW Veteran’s and our beloved Omaha Fashion Camp
Meet the Headlining Designers below:
HEADLINING DESIGNERS:
Dan Richters | Dan Richters | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
I discovered fashion design as another form of artistic expression. It is the amalgamation many mediums I enjoy--including sculpture, painting, printmaking, and drawing.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
My first designer inspiration was Thierry Mugler, particularly that "La Chemere" piece. Then everything Alexander McQueen and his increasingly inspiring shows. I have accumulated too many designer inspirations to list here.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
This collection is inspired by fungus--the colors and textures and behaviors of these lifeforms.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
Omaha Fashion Week is such a great platform to exhibit your work. Everyone involved is dedicated to making the show the best it can be. The talent involved (hair, mu, models, etc.) is high caliber.
Develop Kids | Develop Model Management
For the first time ever, Develop Model Management proudly presents a collection of self-styled looks worn by models from our kids division. At Develop and OFW, we are deeply committed to nurturing and uplifting talent regardless of age. We believe that offering enriching opportunities to young individuals can profoundly impact their creative journeys for years to come. We are delighted to showcase Omaha's next generation of models during the Fall 2024 VERUS Season of OFW.
Jenny Pool | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
Playing dress-up, Reading, Alice in Wonderland - costumes by Bob Mackie
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
Iris Apfel, Barbie (specifically 1982-1990) Bob Mackie, John Galliano, Scapirelli.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
Tapping into the nostalgia of my 80's childhood spent playing with Barbies, Care Bears, Lady Lovely Locks, and My Little Pony, spending hours making things with yarn, paint, and cut-up bridesmaids dresses from my sister.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
It's been a few years, it's always such a fun and creative experience.
MalekR. | Malek Rasmussen | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start desiging clothing?
Omaha Fashion Week inspired me to start designing back in 2017.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspiratiins?
I draw inspiration from nightlife, gay culture and my own masculinity.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
My collection is focused on family tradition and paying homage to my late grandfather through craft.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
I’m excited for this season because it will be my first time headlining at OFW.
Omaha Fashion Camp introduces kids to a breadth of subjects within fashion, allowing them to explore what interests them and eliminate what doesn't. From sewing and sketching to modeling, styling and photography, kids at Omaha Fashion Camp get to experience it all while learning from experts in a caring and inclusive environment.
RÜTD | Rylie Smith | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
At the age of five, I was diagnosed with childhood leukemia. During my two-year chemotherapy treatment, my favorite memory was when the craft lady would come around at the hospital and give me things to do. She introduced me to various artistic mediums like painting, crocheting, toy building, and other hands-on activities. It was not long before my passion for craft evolved into fashion design, illustrating and sewing.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
My fashion icons and designer inspirations come from a variety of sources. I admire those who seamlessly blend different mediums and techniques in their work, such as the integration of fashion and home decor by designers like Kelly Wearstler. I'm also inspired by the natural world, specifically elements like woodgrain, tree bark, botany, and birds, which frequently influence my designs.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
The upcoming RÜTD collection encapsulates the journey of self-discovery. Drawing inspiration from the sculpture of the Self-Made Man which depicts a man chiseling himself out of stone. In this collection, I draw that concept out of wood carving and carpentry through unique drapery, custom textiles featuring woodgrain and tree bark prints, intricately woven macrame textiles, and accessories adorned with hand-carved wood accents.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
Since winning the Feature Designer Golden Shears Grand Prize in 2019, it has been on my bucket list to come back to Omaha Fashion Week to debut what RÜTD has evolved into. Being a part of this season’s showcase is the perfect opportunity to grow as a designer but challenge my designs, explore new techniques, receive feedback, and further refine my craft.
Sarah Dexter Designs | Sarah Dexter | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
Growing up in the relatively rural town of Fairbanks Alaska, I found joy in individuality and self-expression through manipulating clothing. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York the realities of the fashion industry were upsetting and inspired me to only design and make thoughtful handmade slow fashion back in my hometown.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
My favorite designer(s) are Alexander McQueen and Sarah Burton. They both are examples of having both skill of craft and concept of design which leads to collections that are both moving and inovative as well as expertly executed. I strive to practice the craft of clothing creation in tandem with the fine art exercise of emotion and conceptual thoughts through garments.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
For the collection, "Belle De Nuit", I was inspired by a few women bold in history who used their inellect and talent to create the lives they wanted for themselves in a wild world. These women include the rags to riches story of an 19th century courtesan named La Païva who used her wiles to become one of the wealthiest women in Europe and Sonia Delaunay was a painter, textile and fashion designer and the co-creator of the Orphism art movement becoming a highly celebrated 20th century artist while living through two world wars. It is a collection about the beauty of struggle and finding the harmony in chaos.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
The passionate audience and remarkable production team who have great appreciation for the labor and love that goes into the collections on the runway makes me excited to share this collection on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway!
ThEnsō | Kaila Loew | Follow on Instagram
What inspired you to start designing clothing?
My cultural background was the kick starter for my passion in designing clothes. I was captivated by the creative silhouettes around me, which urged me to blend tradition with my own unique style.
Who are your fashion icons and/or designer inspirations?
When it comes to fashion icons and design inspiration, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto are my top picks. Their designs may appear straightforward, but they are amazing at playing with fabrics, colors, and textures in a way that takes everything up a notch.
What inspired your collection for OFW August 2024?
The inspiration behind my collection for OFW August 2024 naturally stems from my cultural heritage, but with a twist. I aimed to create captivating pieces that can shine on their own. While I typically infuse a touch of historical Japanese elements into my designs, this time, I'm experimenting with seamlessly blending these influences to create a more subtle fusion.
What makes you excited to show on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway?
What truly excites me about showcasing at OFW is the people. I've built so many connections with the production team, photographers, and others involved, that it feels like a welcoming community. It's not just me who feels at home there, but my designs as well.
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 | Andres Fernandez Alvarez
Runway Sponsor | Milan Laser