We are just one week away from our Avant Garde and Swimwear Showcase! We are very excited to be bringing extremely talented designers to the runway next Tuesday.
As Omaha Fashion Week is quickly approaching (exactly ONE WEEK away), we thought you might enjoy learning a bit more about the designers that make this event possible! Next Monday will be our Bridal, Children’s, and Sister Cities showcase.
Come celebrate the conclusion of OFW at our Official After Party - Masquerade on the Patio with McLovin - a store for men. August 22, 10:30 to 1 a.m. at the Fashion Tent on 14th & Cuming. Ages 21+
Omaha Fashion Week invites you to join FIG Board Member-at-Large and Sales Director at Design Parliament, Autumn Foland, for a Trunk Show/Sample Sale at the Regency Mariott Location on August 11-13.
Thursday night, we had an awesome time at SAC Federal Credit Union’s headquarters for OFW’s Preview Party! Invitees were able to catch a glance at the work our designers have put into their collections thus far. There was some outstanding work up on the platforms.
If you picked up the latest metroMAGAZINE, you probably noticed Omaha Fashion Week and SAC Federal Credit Union’s feature article. As you may or may not know, SAC is a very important contributor to OFW’s success!
We know you’ve been on your toes awaiting the unveiling of the 12 phenomenal designers who will comprise the line-up for the VIP Runway Finale on August 22. Well set those heels down because we are finally ready to announce the outstanding group who will be competing for the Omaha Fashion Cup prize!
Papillion, NE July 29th, 2015 -- SAC Federal Credit Union [SAC] and Omaha Fashion Week [OFW] hosted the OFW Preview Party on Thursday, July 30 at SAC’s headquarters. This event offers insiders a preview of the designs that will be coming in August to the OFW runway. SAC unveiled this season’s SAC Money Dress, designed by local designer Kate Walz at the Preview Party.
Not too long ago...
Omaha Fashion Week held a Fashion Camp where students 6-17 years of age got the opportunity to learn about all aspects of the fashion industry. That includes sketching, photography, and modeling. Students even created their very own garment that went down the runway. Not only were the campers alongside the runway to view the amazing work their peers put in during the week, but parents, members of the public, and even the press witnessed this event.
We are excited to announce....
That the winners from Omaha Fashion Camp will be attending Omaha Fashion Week this August to present their creative work to our audience. Guests of OFW will be able to get a first-hand look at the student’s work on our platforms Wednesday night, August 19th.
Help us give a super stellar welcome to these students: (*hint hint, purchase tickets here!*)
Caryn Jones of Millard South High School
Terry Spevak of Omaha South High School
Katelyn Otto of Duschense Academy
Emma Herman of Burke High School
Madyssen Hrlevich of Millard North High School
Ciara Fortun of Central High School
Amber Schwendiman of Elkhorn South High School
The clan here at OFW is thrilled to welcome these young designers to our premiere event. They put in some extremely hard work during fashion camp!
Congratulations emerging designers and welcome to Omaha Fashion Week August 2015!
Who else will be at OFW on August 19th?
We’re glad you asked! If you will be attending OFW on Wednesday, you can excpect to see the amazing work from Ready-to-Wear designers featuring Sydney Moore; Iconic by Tamu – Tamara Newson; Triple Thread – Kylie Bollwitt, Margi Hanlon, & Ashley Redinbaugh; MDFashions Aspen – Michelle Dunn; Alejandra Buenrostro; and SuShe by J. Tracey – Juantiesha Christian.
A little teaser of some of the past and current work from these designers:
Need another reason to stop by the Fashion Tent?
Who doesn’t want to take part in the Midwest’s premiere fashion event?! Did you know Omaha Fashion Week is the 5th largest fashion week in the country? That’s right! So head on over to http://omahafashionweek.ticketleap.com/ofw-ready-to-wear-showcase-i/ to sweep up a couple tickets for you and a friend before it’s too late! See you alongside the runway!
Shhhh, don't tell....
But, we love to sneak up on our designers while they work their hearts out. I mean really though, who doesnt love a good sneak peak and behind the scenes look? No one!
Designer Kaitlyn Fitzgerald is whooping it up with her kiddos at fittings! She is WAY ahead of the game and already shooting her collection- you go girl! You will see this little number on the runway on Monday, August 17th. Snag tickets here!
Michaela Cawley, designer for KKINI swimwear looks pretty set for another OFW runway appearance in this picture she shared on social media. To see her suits snag a seat on Tuesday, August 18th here!
Holy obsessed! We cant wait to see more of the collection from Triple Thread! Come see the full collection on Wednesday, August 19th by scooping up tickets here!
Our designers are truly amazing- they even make their own accessories for their shows. Terri Buckner, designer for Nuevintage Apparel shared a sneak peak into her jewlery for her RTW collection shown on the runway, August 20th. Get tickets here!
There is nothing like last minute fabric shopping before your Omaha Fashion Week runway debut, right Leah Kettelson? We can't wait to see her beautiful evening wear line showing for the first time at OFW on August 21st. Come and experience it with us, tickets here!
Well, that's all for now! Stay tuned for more sneak peaks!
Another friendly little plug to let you in on more of the behind the scenes, hands on approach we have with our designers... We have Rack Check on Saturday where our panel will get to see first hand how prepared our designers are for the runway. They will get real-time advice and have their line shot by our amazing team of photographers as well as mixing and mingling to open up an unmatched networking experience for all the creative individuals involved in Omaha Fashion Week!
Have you heard about our amazing panel and their impact on these young designers careers?
Our panel is top notch. Here is a bit more about them:
Judy Davis is a two year board member of the Fashion Institute Midwest Board and the Fashion Institute Guild. She currently serves as treasurer of both organizations.
Outside of the “fashion world”, Judy serves the community as Philanthropy/Event Chair on the American Red Cross Board, Board Development Chair on the YMCA Board, Chair of the Iowa West Educational Advisory Committee, a member of the Iowa Western Community College Black Tie Committee, and a board member of the Council Bluffs Guild of the Omaha Symphony.
Judy served as Campaign Consultant for the new Charles E. Lakin YMCA in Council Bluffs and is currently serving as Campaign Consultant for the Council Bluffs Athletic Complex. Judy is married to husband Ron, has three children and six grandchildren.
Meghann Schense is creative consultant & grit of EsotericVelvet.com She is a founding, executive board member for the Fashion Institute Guild, a style ambassador for Harper’s Bazaar, and “Au Courant” trend columnist for Inspired Living Magazine.
Meghann’s expertise includes media production, writing, art direction, styling, graphic design, photography, event planning, market research & analytics, e-commerce, branding, public relations, email marketing, and social media.
Vanessa Barrett has a long history with design and fashion. She began as a window dresser, with many experiences along the way including boutique owner, buyer, interior design, editor of The Scout Guide Omaha, and photographer. Vanessa is currently working in jewelry design and as a fashion/interior stylist.
Autumn Foland leads the sales and customer service efforts at Design Parliament. With over 15 years of retail and wholesale experience, Autumn has solidified a reputation for being a key player in the nation’s designer specialty and department stores. She has purchased at wholesale showrooms across the country, as well as such venues as New York Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, Dallas Market and Style Max Chicago.
Autumn has developed relationships with hundreds of fashion designers and top retail executives through her various buying and selling activities. Autumn is also very involved in her local community, serving as Board Member of the Midwest Fashion Institute Guild, Member of the Board and Chairperson of the Heart Ministry Center Fashion Show and a Team Captain Volunteer for The ICAN Womens Leadership Annual Conference.
Robyn Kortan was a Senior Buyer for Dayton Hudson Department Stores headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. She was responsible for managing multi million dollar businesses for several departments. In this position, Robyn also had the opportunity to travel for the Associated Merchant Corporation and was involved with design and development of merchandise for private label to be used by Dayton Hudson/Marshall Field and several other major department stores throughout the U.S. Before retiring from retail, Robyn moved to Human Resources and was responsible for the Merchant Trainee Program and conducted professional and personal training for the Executive Merchant Team.
With these folks on the panel, we have no doubt that the August 2015 lineup will be wonderful! Join us August 17th-22nd! #BeThere #OmahaFashion
It’s that time of year again where we are hustling and bustling in preparation to make Omaha Fashion Week the Midwest’s premier fashion event. Here’s a quick look at what the OFW team has been up to:
Recently we hosted a designer barbeque- a fun, social event where designers can relax and unwind with other fellow designers. And of course stuff their bellies to the brim. Our creatives got to munch on burgers, chips, watermelon, salad, guacamole (it isn’t a party without some guac), and much more tasty treats. Take a look at our fun filled feast!
Classic Buf
Red Carpet Ready was also just hosted this past week! This event never disappoints, and this year was no exception. Guests were able to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and pampering with the OFW, Borsheims, and Develop Model Management teams. A few photos from this extravagant event:
This week is another busy one for OFW. A few more events and a lot (A LOT) of hard work and we are just about ready for show time. Don’t forget to mark Omaha Fashion Week on your calendar’s for August 17th-22nd. If you are still needing to purchase tickets, visit: http://omahafashionweek.ticketleap.com. We can’t wait to see you alongside the runway!
Since we are quickly approaching Red Carpet Ready, it's time to give our guests an idea of what to expect! Our event will feature cocktails from Peroni and hors d’oeuvres provided by Fleming’s, hair and makeup tutorials from the team at Victor Victoria, and of course…. the red carpet! Pulling some looks from recent red carpet events you can grab different ideas and inspiration from these stars to help get Red Carpet Ready.
Looking at the recent Tribeca Film Festival:
Photos by: http://www.zimbio.com
And WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party:
Photo by: http://www.vogue.com/
E! Online picked these best dressed ladies from the BET Awards:
Photo by: http://www.eonline.com/
So find a little inspiration, dress up, grab a couple friends, and head on over to Borsheims in Regency Court for a fun filled night! Did we mention the first 50 guests will receive a free gift bag?! The event goes from 5pm-7pm on July 16th, see you there!
Omaha Fashion Week opens up opportunities to Boutiques, Salons, Retailers, and Brands to engage with our wide audience! You are able to reserve a Retail Booth, Platform Session, or an ad in Omaha FASHION Magazine-- details below. Retail Booth- Not only will you be able to showcase your merchandise to our audience during OFW, but we will also help promote businesses that choose to use this medium. Through our website, social media networks, magazine, and e-mail blasts, we will help you reach our audience more directly. A few stats for these outlets: *150k+ Website Views, *40k+ Magazine Readers, *20k+ Social Media Followers, *10K+ E-mail Database—and these numbers continue to grow.
Presentation Boxes/ Platforms- If you want an innovative approach to reach OFW’s audience, presentation boxes and platforms might be just what you’re looking for! Showcase your product on live professional models during the Younker’s Pre-Party at OFW. We will provide the platforms, models, and backstage dressing area. You provide the merchandise and up to four members of staff to supervise.
Magazine Ads- Gain exposure to 40,000 plus fashion fans in the region’s only Provigil 200mg the Midwest fashion scene. You can choose from full, 1/2, and 1/3 page options!
There is an opportunity for everyone, don’t miss your chance to advertise your product or service to a vast audience this August! For more information or assistance contact Assistant Producer, Kylie Bollwitt at kylie@omahafashionweek.com.
We had another great turn out for Omaha Fashion Week’s Model Search. By the 2:00 start time, we had over 170 models ready to show OFW and Develop Canada Pharmacy made of! Here’s a recap if you missed it:
First, check out this line. As we mentioned previously the line was growing long way before we began. Models got their numbers and waited until we were ready for them.
Models then got their picture taken by our amazing photographer, Herb Thompson.
After they got their beauty shot, models trekked on over to measurements. We had some great helpers with this important task!
Then models waited for their turn to strut their stuff on the runway in front of industry professionals.
Phew! That was a lot. The model search ended up being extremely successful! Models will be informed if they have made it into the OFW Model pool on, June 26th before midnight. Again, thank you to all who made this event possible! We can’t wait to have some fresh new faces on our runway.
FROM AN OFW MEDIA ALERT THAT WENT OUT TODAY:
WHO: 70 Participants in Omaha Fashion Camp, presented by Omaha Fashion Week and Develop Model Management.
WHAT: Fashion Campers present their camp projects on the runway today for parents, press and members of the public. Fashion Camp started on Monday, teaching kids about careers in the fashion industry along with key skills including sketching, pattern making, sewing, modeling and photography. Goodwill provided a "pop up shop" for kids to select fabrics and accessories to style their garments. Camp culminates in a runway show where students' projects will be reviewed, with the top projects being selected for platform displays during Omaha Fashion Week August 17-22. View full curriculum + more details here: http://omahafashionweek.com/
WHEN: Friday, June 12 at 11 a.m. for the 6-10 year olds (20 campers in this group), and 4 p.m. for 11-17 year olds (50 campers in this group)
WHERE: Oakview Mall on 3001 South 144th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144
WHY: The fashion industry is competitive! Kids need to start early in fostering their understanding and skills in this industry. Fashion camp is a great way for boys and girls to exercise their math, science, spacial awareness and creative talents. The projects will be reviewed by OFW Producers, Nick and Brook Hudson. The top projects will be shown on platforms during the next season of Omaha Fashion Week, August 17-22!
Omaha Fashion Week's August season is coming quickly, but are you runway ready? Before you hit the red carpets at our shows, join us for our Red Carpet Ready Event! We have a lot of fun, pampering, and prizes planned for an evening out with Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts in Regency Court on July 16th from 5-7 pm!
Sip sparkling cocktails from Peroni and enjoy hors d’oeuvres provided by Fleming’s. The professionals from Victor Victoria will be at the event to polish your look with hair and makeup tutorials and of course you will get the chance to strut your stuff on the red carpet. Experts from Develop Model Management will be alongside Photographer Herb Thompson to capture your special moment!
It certainly wouldn’t be a Red Carpet event without fabulous designer jewelry and garments. A special trunk show will be taking place during our event, hosted by the jewelry powerhouse Lagos. Other fun things to expect- A style game brought to you by Borsheims’ jewelry buyers and Dennis Merotto designs- did we mention you could win a prize package just for playing?!
This is one event you will not want to miss! The first 50 guests will be taking home a free gift bag. So gather up your friends and make a night of it! This event is free and open to the public. Here are all the details one last time!
Red Carpet Ready July 16th | 5-7pm Borsheims in Regency Court
#omahafashion #redcarpetready #borsheims
If you have been to OFW before, you have likely seen or heard about the SAC Federal Credit Union Money Dress Contest. Well this season you have the opportunity to design it!
Any designer can apply and submit their design ideas for a chance to create a look that will walk the runway every night during OFW.
Here are the rules:
- Designers are invited to submit designs from June 2nd – June 15th, 2015.
- Designers may submit up to two designs.
- Bills or coins must cover at least 20 % of the dress.
- Bills or coins cannot be defaced.
- Dress must fit a model size 0 – 4.
- The winning design will be announced by June 22nd and the winning designer will be notified at that time.
- The SAC Money Dress must be completed and be available to SAC FCU by July 13th, 2015.
- Designer is responsible for guarding the dress and protecting it during Omaha Fashion Week, August 17 – 23rd, 2016.
- Accessories are encouraged but not required.
- The amount of money included in the dress is to remain a secret. Designer is not allowed to disclose the dollar amount that is on the dress with anyone or anywhere.
Other details:
- Members of the OFW selection panel will review all submissions and select the top three designs. SAC Federal Credit Union will make the final selection of the design and designer for the SAC Money Dress.
- SAC FCU will provide up to $700.00 to be used as design elements on or within the dress.
- Prize money given to winning designer is $500.00.
- Designer will have a $100 materials budget.
- SAC Money Dress will remain the sole property of SAC Federal Credit Union.
- Following OFW the SAC Money Dress will go on a tour of a minimum of 4 branches. The Money Dress tour and the designer will be featured on SAC’s website and on social media.
- SAC FCU will feature the SAC Money Dress and its designer in a news release, on their website and on social media.
- A model will be provided by Develop Model management and Omaha Fashion Week to model the SAC Money Dress at OFW.
If you've got your eye on the prize, enter here.
I can't wait to see the ideas! Good luck!
The proposal to remove fashion education from the Omaha Public Schools curriculum is still on the table following the school board meeting two weeks ago. After the proposal was presented, nearly all school board members spoke about their concerns over removing the fashion classes from the curriculum. It sounds like all of the letters our fashion fans sent them were read and thoughtfully considered! However, we aren't out of the woods yet. Tonight there is another board meeting, which means we have another opportunity to share why this issue is so important. It won't be up for vote for a few more weeks. OFW will be there along with OPS fashion teachers to offer additional information about why fashion education should NOT be removed from the curriculum.
The key takeaway from the last meeting was the need for more information about job opportunities in fashion. This became glaringly obvious after a presenter said she did a "quick search" of job postings in fashion within Nebraska and found none. Well, the OFW team did its own "quick search" today and here is what we found:
We have several large retailers headquartered in the Midwest: The Buckle (Kearney, NE); Cabela's (Sidney, NE); Gordman's (Omaha, NE); Von Maur (Des Moines, IA); Target (Minneapolis, MN); BonTon (Milwaukee, WI). Here are their job postings:
- The Buckle: http://corporate.buckle.com/careers/apply-now/store/0
- Cabela's: http://cabelas.jobs/careers/?jobs_country=us&jobs_location=65&keyword=keyword&employee=no&search_qs=Search&pg=1
- Gordman's: https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWebHost/searchresults.aspx?SID=%5E1KwmD9EaDVlmuyTEjlcM69Lhz6MuREfV63TCJPOCdVqymGMEpFVcUlESWYEFWbx_slp_rhc_
- Von Maur: http://careers.bonton.com/?utm_campaign=corp
- Target: http://jobs.target.com/search/Nebraska?utm_source=corporate.target.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=corporate
- BonTon: http://careers.bonton.com/?utm_campaign=corp
We need to broaden our perspective of what "working in fashion" is exactly. We LOVE our fashion designers, but this industry involves MUCH more than designing and producing garments. It incorporates business, marketing, merchandizing, product development, forecasting, technology, content creation (photography, videography, writing/blogging), modeling, styling, public relations, advertising, graphic design, hair styling, makeup artistry and so many other things. You will see this variety reflected in the job postings above. In fact, here's the full document of research the team pulled together today - it includes salary data as well.
It's easy for us to think of fashion classes as an experience where we learn to cut fabric, sew stitches and press pretty things. Maybe even learn a thing or two about modeling and self confidence, heaven forbid. But those experiences are actually the first step in a student's journey into a billion dollar industry that has thousands of well paying jobs right here in our state. If we don't prepare our students in high school for these careers, they will have fewer opportunities than their peers in other markets.
Fashion education isn't an unpopular subject at OPS...there are roughly 1,000 students enrolled in these classes right now. It would be foolish, and sad, to throw the hopes and dreams of these students away because of misinformation about what opportunities are available to them in this industry. Let's hope the school board agrees!
Get Ready to Join us under the Tents for August 2015!
Check out the Schedule and buy your tickets today!
8/17: Bridal + Children's Wear + Sister Cities
Debut of brand new collections from Bridal and Children’s Wear designers, along with Sister Cities. Featured designers: Kingdom Unlimited – Isabel Muziva; KAIT – Kaitlyn Fitzgerald; LeRoy Designs – Caleb Hanner; Quite-A-Riot – Adrienne Anderson; and Jessica Lynn – Jessica Collins.
Click HERE to Purchase
Debut of brand new collections from Avant Garde and Swimwear designers. Featured designers: Dan Richters; Jennifer Pool; Brave Nouvelle – Ellene McClay; Judy Bales; Sabrina Jones; and KKINI – Michaela Cawley.
Click HERE to Purchase
Debut of brand new collections from Ready-to-Wear designers. Featured designers: Sydney Moore; Iconic by Tamu – Tamara Newson; Triple Thread – Kylie Bollwitt, Margi Hanlon, & Ashley Redinbaugh; MDFashions Aspen – Michelle Dunn; Alejandra Buenrostro; and SuShe by J. Tracey – Juantiesha Christian
Click HERE to Purchase
8/20: Ready to Wear Showcase II
Debut of brand new collections from Ready-to-Wear designers. Featured designers: Alyssa Koory; Legalized Rebellion – Samone Davis; Molly Elizabeth – Molly O’Brien; Wallflower – Erica Cardenas & Bryan Frost; Nuevintage – Terri Buckner; and Christopher DiGiorgio.
Click HERE to Purchase
Debut of brand new collections from Evening Wear designers. Featured designers: Amaryllis Designs – Andrea Hurtt; Buf Reynolds; Denise Ervin Designs – Denise Ervin; alesha.beth – Alesha Johnson; Leah Kareen – Leah Kettelson; Alison Cloet; and Fella – Fella Vaughn.
Click HERE to Purchase
Celebrate the best of Omaha Fashion Week and watch 12 designers compete for the Oxide Fashion Cup and a $20,000 prize package provided by the Fashion Institute Midwest! Walk the Borsheims Red Carpet at this all VIP event and enjoy the Midwest’s most glamourous night out! Designer finalists will be announced in early August.
Click HERE to Purchase
We look forward to seeing you alongside the runway, August 2015!
#BeThere #OmahaFashion
My perspective on the value of learning fashion skills at an early age comes from personally being brought up in a working fashion family, my 25+ year career in fashion and seeing the opportunities that have been created for young people through the eight years of Omaha Fashion Week.
Growing up in England we didn’t have fashion as an option in school (in fact we didn’t have any practical skill options - it was a purely academic curriculum and I spent many hours studying Latin!). But at home, I was encouraged to be entrepreneurial with my hobbies. Both my father and grandfather owned their own businesses in the fashion industry. My first real business was a T-shirt printing company I started at the age of fifteen (we quickly branched into printed mugs and other random items!). I continued this T-shirt printing business through university at Cambridge and it paid for many wonderful trips around the world as a student. After university I went into fashion's "little sister" industry -the beauty industry - working for the Boots Company (better known the US as the developer of Sephora). For 13 years I traveled the world working on a range of projects in business development, my last role being Vice President of International Business Development which allowed me to bring the Boots brand to the US through store partnerships with Target, CVS & Walgreens. (Boots was later was purchased by Walgreens in a $19BN transaction)
In 2004 I decided to start my own import business bringing luxury beauty, fashion and accessories from Europe to the US and I found myself moving from New York to Omaha, Nebraska. This sometimes surprises people in the places I do most of my fashion business (i.e. New York, London, Paris & Milan) but Omaha has been a wonderful base for a fashion import and distribution business. It is central, the lifestyle here is low cost and very comfortable, but most importantly it has a LOT of very talented young people.
It was these talented young people that inspired me to start the creative hub and artists venue, Nomad Lounge, where one of the best projects that was incubated was Omaha Fashion Week. I quickly realized that there was this amazing talent base here in Omaha. The skills were much better than in other cities I had seen. I attribute this to the fact that fashion was still being taught in schools and the strength of programs such as 4-H, which don't exist in the main fashion capitals. The big challenge for these designers was that they didn’t have the money to stage a professional fashion show. Even more striking was that they didn’t believe they were as talented as young designers on the coasts or in “more prestigious” cities. The idea to change this was simple but revolutionary. Omaha Fashion Week became the first big Fashion Week that provided a free professional platform for designers. It was and continues to be funded by members of the public through ticket sales and the corporate community through sponsorship.
The commercial company that I'm involved with here in Omaha, Design Parliament, is focused on fashion and has very small impact on the local job market. Directly we only have 10 employees, but we are growing quickly and it’s very possible we will have many more in the future. But, through Omaha Fashion Week, many jobs have been created (and talent discovered!) across many different businesses and industries from photography to hair dressing to modeling to retail. This all started because I got to practice entrepreneurial skills in fashion in my early years.
I personally have had a very comfortable income for over 18 years in the fashion industry and a wonderful career that has taken me to almost 50 different countries around the world. I have seen hundreds of people create significant wealth and satisfaction from careers in fashion. And I have seen hundreds of young people in Omaha practice their fashion talents on the OFW runway and then take those creative entrepreneurial skills to use them in fashion or in other industries.
I hope OPS doesn’t drop fashion from its curriculum options. Fashion is an amazingly creative entrepreneurial play ground that hones skills which can be used in many other fields. It is short-sighted to assume fashion is only training people for low-income, low demand jobs! Fashion and its associated areas is a core fundamental human need and globally it is an $1BN industry. There continue to be a plethora of fantastic high income opportunities for those who are interested in fashion in the Midwest! The key to being competitive and landing those jobs is to START EARLY, which further underscores the need for fashion education in our high schools.