Omaha Fashion Week’s new series The Front Row offers an up-close look at the creators and cultivators that are reshaping Omaha’s fashion and arts community. Couture x Convo creators Bayani Seldera and Zachary Roland share how they hope to facilitate important discussions and unite the fashion community in Omaha.
“Couture x Convo is a monthly meetup where people interested in fashion can get together to share ideas and get to know like-minded people.”
What is the purpose of these conversations?
BAYANI: The goal will always be to connect the fashion communities so that we can grow as one and create more opportunities and lanes of communication. For me, it’s about making fashion accessible locally, and to create a platform for everyone.
ZACHARY: Our goal is to build up our fashion community here in Omaha. By providing a place where people can come together and share ideas, we’re helping people make connections in our local scene.
The minds behind Couture x Convo: Bayani Seldera and Zachary Roland.
How did you get the idea to start?
BAYANI: This spawned from just getting coffee and talking about the industry. As former classmates, we would often discuss the local industry, and the local industry doesn’t just consist of Zachary and myself, so we wanted to hear from others and share the wealth of knowledge.
ZACHARY: Like Bayani says, we used to get together for coffee to discuss our thoughts about the goings-on of the fashion industry. Most of my consumption of fashion comes from magazines, social media, and podcasts. I wanted to facilitate more face to face interactions in our community, and have good conversation with other people interested in fashion. When I shared this with Bayani, he expressed a similar desire, so we decided to create Couture x Convo.
What do you hope to accomplish?
BAYANI: Make the local industry thrive, and inspire others to go above and beyond with their goals. Like I said earlier, my personal goal is to make fashion accessible and defeat the notion that it is inherently elitist.
“We’re hoping to build a greater sense of community here in Omaha. I want to create a space where students and fresh faces in the community can share ideas and receive guidance from their more established peers.”
How can this impact Omaha?
BAYANI: Over time I think we can foster a self-sustaining community. You see a lot of people talking about how there’s no reason to leave Omaha to pursue a career, but I personally believe that the fashion industry is one that Omaha lacks on a grand scale (meaning there are not many options for those who want to be a buyer or perhaps an illustrator) and it would be amazing to see more positions like those open up as a result of our work. Overall, I think the impact we would be seeing the most is growing and uniting a bunch of smaller groups to create an impressive fashion community.
ZACHARY: By creating an open and accepting forum in which people can share ideas, we can more easily find ways to improve the local fashion industry.
How can people get involved?
BAYANI: Come to a session! If you think you can provide something please come and share it.
What are some future discussions we can expect to see?
ZACHARY: Future topics we’re hoping to tackle include creativity and inspiration, gender’s relation with fashion, and the return of menswear in runway fashion.
The Empire Room was the location for the most recent Couture x Convo meetup.
Give us some insight into what these meetups are like. What was discussed during the last session?
At CxC session 2, a major takeaway was that it depends on what your career goals and aspirations are. If the job you want does not exist or is not available in Omaha, then of course you should move away; but on the flip side of that if you want a career that is more self driven (ie: photographer, stylist, designer) then fostering a community around you will only help you become more successful. What this boils down to is whether you are more creative or more analytical, this can really help you make major decisions.
Another major point that was discussed was the idea of the influencer, and how it has turned into a B2B transaction, rather than a sponsorship or promotion. As a society we created this position of an influencer to give brands this idea of authenticity, but it has gotten to the point where the authenticity has run out. What comes next, what is the next influencer, how will companies convey this sense of authenticity now that we can tell when something is inauthentic?
We are now seeing brands come through with immense transparency, and direct to consumer business models, creating a true connection between the individuals representing the company and those who would purchase their products.
Overall, the Couture x Convo team noticed that no matter what career decisions were made, Omaha would always be there to back you up; whether that means leaving to join an already established community, or switching paths to fund your aspirations in the fashion industry.
-Bayani Seldera and Zachary Roland
In January, Couture x Convo will be discussing the creative process and the question, “Does life actually imitate art?” Keep the conversation going and follow Couture x Convo on Instagram for more information on upcoming events!
You can support Omaha’s budding fashion community by purchasing tickets to the Midwest’s premier fashion event in February. Tickets are on sale now!
Keep up with the Omaha creatives making waves in the community! Follow Omaha Fashion Week on Instagram for updates on The Front Row.
