Omaha Fashion Week’s Spring 2023 season of fashion and nostalgia kicked off the weekend with a packed night of emerging designers. Emerging Designers are either brand new to the OFW runway, student designers, or veteran designers trying out a completely new method of creation. They will explore themes of nostalgia, revival of youth, and societal issues.

Omaha Fashion Week celebrates 15 years of runway showcases during the De Ponte Spring 2023 season. De Ponte is Latin for "from the bridge" in honor of Omaha Fashion Week's start under the Jones Street bridge to glamorous celebrations at the Omaha Design Center, and everything in between. The atmosphere of the night reflected the streets of Omaha and rave culture in the 1990’s. Lining the entrance to the ballroom were mannequins featuring garments form our vintage collection donated by Astrid Buffett were styled with 90’s flare by our lovely apprentices!

Guests arrived to the Omaha Design Center and rushed to take photos by Hapis Imagery on the Milan Laser Red Carpet, and enjoyed music from DJ Angie Spence. Live virtual graffiti art by Dan Richters was a mesmerizing addition to the pre-show entertainment.

VIP Guests were greeted by valet, posed on the Milan Laser Red Carpet, then found their premium seats along the Omaha Fashion Week Runway. Thanks to Village Pointe Aesthetic Surgery | Dreams MedSpa, every guest was a VIP and received valet parking and complimentary hors d'oeuvres from Attitude on Food.

Borris Powell, veteran Omaha Fashion Week designer opened our show with a retrospective collection featuring looks from the last 10 years. It was an elegant, bespoke, and glamorous start to the night.

Waverly Monroe of KETV hosted our show with grace and attitude. She was styled by the lovely, Buf Reynolds, with clothing from her personal vintage collection.

The runway show continued with a whimsical collection from reduce. featuring vintage and secondhand jewelry, vintage tea towels, and natural dying. J.Lidan told the story of her own journey to body positivity through clothing. S. Nicole by Shabeba sent stunning florals and bold colors down to runway as an ode to her Mexican heritage. Namaste NYC demonstrated the balance between modern silhouettes and traditional Indian fabrics. 4 Moore moved us all deeply with a message of “No means no”, in support of survivors of domestic violence. And Carl’s Bad Designs used texture and volume to replicate the sounds of etherial music.

During intermission, house music kept the energy up and attendees enjoyed looking through their Omaha FASHION Magazine.

Lights dimmed and guests awaited the next segment of collections starting with Emma Plante showcased flowy fairy styles curated for the modern hippie aesthetic. Sommer blew us away with a gorgeous collection of Avant Garde pieces in a classic black, white, and red palette. TOS brought to life the classic western aesthetic with a minimalist feminine flare. Furlow Designs took us back to the 90’s with her unique garments made out of classic board game materials. Meraki wowed us with chunky knits in dreamy pastels. BS Designs brought spunk to the runway with a collection inspired by chaps and western streetwear. Finally, Mayed by Rey closed the show with a beautiful collection made with vintage lace and elegant silhouettes.