Omaha Fashion Week’s Spring 2023 season of fashion and nostalgia had another night of excitement featuring students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design Program.

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. The walls were covered in wild postings featuring the official Omaha Fashion Week rave poster, photos of Develop Models from our editorial photoshoot, and a few easter eggs mixed in between.

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 Sharkweek. 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 Patricia’s Catering.

Erin Kelly, former UNL student, returned to the runway to open our show with a line of knitted accessories and silhouettes in custom patters. She started her design career as a student designer, and has since presented as an Emerging Designer and started her clothing brand, Rinkel Clothing Supply. She focuses on slow fashion, made to order, and sustainably made garments.

Sarah Fili 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 was filled with looks by students in the Day Wear and Semi Formal categories.

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 in Avant Garde and Evening Wear categories.

Finally, Headliner RoninScar by Alex Scarpello closed out our show with a marriage of his past work set in his world, The Zone. Alex is also a former UNL Student and has shown on the Omaha Fashion Week Runway as a student, Emerging, Featured, and now Headlining designer. His collection evoked an eerie aura that was punctuated with heavy garments and lots of texture. It was a truly mesmerizing presentation, perfect to end our night.

The night ended on a high note with the presentation of the Mary Mitchell Fashion Excellence award to student designer, Gretter Mejias. She utilized secondhand and sustainably sourced materials to create four zero waste looks that were refreshing and unique. Congratulations, we loved every look form your presentation!