OFW is thrilled to announce that 13 of our designers for the Spring ‘24 Season will receive grants from the OFW Investor’s Circle. The Investor’s Circle was started in December by former OFW Producer Brook Hudson and OFW Casting Director Alyssa Dilts. They had a goal of raising $5,000 for the fund…and blew past it by raising nearly $7,000! That is enough to give 13 designers each a $500 grant.

Grant recipients were selected based on a five-minute pitch that was given on Zoom to an audience of generous Investor’s Circle donors. Each donor gave a yes or no vote to each designer. The 13 designers with the highest number of “yes” votes received a grant. Donors were told to imagine themselves holding a $500 check. Would they give that check to the designer after hearing their pitch?

“What made listening to these pitches special, was hearing the amazing personal stories of our designers,” said Brook Hudson. “I was so inspired! I can’t wait to see how these funds will help each designer achieve their vision,” said Alyssa Dilts.

Donors to the Investor’s Circle will have another opportunity to get to know the grant recipients at a Preview Event scheduled for Feb. 15. All grant recipients will be there with completed collections, and donors will be the first to see the fruit of their investment before it hits the runway.

Here is the list of $500 grant recipients for the February 2024 Season:

Many of our designers will be using these grants to level up their fabric quality, scale production, participate in more shows, increase marketing capabilities, update websites, and provide the resources and flexibility needed to level up their businesses as a whole.

Here are a few stand-out quotes from last night’s interviews:

“We want to merge fashion and technology, and this grant would help give us the resources to be able to fully realize that dream.” - Abby and Ally Hall, Mauve Decade

“I want to be able to make my avant-garde scaled down into more wearable designs. I also want to be able to make things more accessible to people who may not be able to afford couture pieces.” - Skye Barker Maa, SKYE|AIRE

“I want to give back. I’d love to open schools. My family is from Ethiopia, and eventually, I’d love to open a school there. I want to give back to where I came from." - Elon Kebede, ELU by Elon

"Fashion was a way of dealing with PTSD and depression. As a Muslim woman in America, it was really hard to find gowns that didn’t compromise my faith." - Hawa Muya, Hawa Couture

"I am inspired by the relationship between fashion and the women who surround me. I love the way it empowers them. This grant would help me upgrade my fabrics.” - LeMario Sommerville, Somer

“After my father suffered a heart attack this past summer, I feel like I have a second chance and want to do a collection to honor my parents.” - Ana Orescanin

The next round of funding for the Investor’s Circle is scheduled for April 1-30, 2024, and will support designers selected for the August 2024 season. Congrats to all of our grant recipients!

Don’t miss out on seeing these designers’ collections in February during the Omaha fashion week spring 2024 Audacious season!

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