Spring 2024 selection panelists
Emerging designer Panel:
Brett Foster: Owner, Wow Factore Events. Former VP of Visual Merchandising for Macy’s.
Edelweiss Rothe: Branding & Merchandising Consultant. Over 23 years experience in the retail industry at executive corporate level positions at Liverpool one of the largest retailers in Mexico, developing brands, brand identity , new markets and teams.
Anthony Deon Brown: Fine Artist/Designer at Anthony DEON. Work currently represented by Anderson O’Brien Fine Art.
Jennie Mason: Interior Designer at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture. Educated at FIT and Master’s at University of Texas Austin School of Architecture. A veteran OFW designer. Former fashion forecaster, visual merchandiser, print designer at Nordstrom.
featured designer panel:
Kelli Molcyzk: Senior Vice President of Women’s Merchandising at Buckle. Has been employed by Buckle since 1999 and has served in various roles on the women's merchandising team since that time, including Divisional Merchandise Manager.
Dan Richters: Fine artist and fashion designer. His work has appeared on the runways of LA fashion week, on many red carpets including the Cannes Film Festival and most recently in L’Officiel Magazine. An OFW veteran.
Kylin Flothe: Textile & Dress Historian, Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska’s Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design.
Jenny Pool: Freelance costume and fashion designer. Community Engagement Coordinator at UNeTech Institute. OFW Veteran.
from application to the runway
Omaha Fashion Week invites designers from around the world to apply for our bi-annual shows on a no-fee basis. This means designers who are selected can participate in our production at no cost beyond the creation of their collection and travel-related expenses. Given the high cost of our production, we have created a competitive process to award the most deserving designers with this opportunity. Mentoring and feedback is a critical part of our selection process. Below are the steps steps in our selection process.
Application:
Designers must create their own garments - not adapt the designs of another. Production outsourcing of original designs is acceptable.
Apply online at www.omahafashionweek.com. Applications for February season open in August. Applications for the August season open in February. The application period is approximately eight weeks. Applications are reviewed by the OFW production team. The OFW team looks for:
An online presence (website or social media) to see examples of the designers’ work and how they represent themselves;
A clear and concise description of the proposed collection
Thoughtfulness around career/educational goals and how a position in the OFW lineup will help the designer reach these goals.
Designers who meet these criteria will be invited to interview with either the Emerging or Featured designer panels. Emerging designers are those who have limited runway experience, are students or are experimenting with a new modality in fashion design. Featured designers have a portfolio of runway experience, most have graduated from college (but not always), and are actively promoting and selling their work.
Interviews & INvites
Interviews are 10 minutes and go fast - preparation is key to making the most of it. Interviewees are expected to be prepared with the following:
a concise introduction to their brand and explanation of their upcoming collection;
a visual representation of their proposed collection (i.e. Mood board, fabric swatches, power point, sketches);
and at least one sample garment to demonstrate the quality of their craft.
Emerging designers are scored following their interview, with top scorers being invited to the show.
Featured designers are selected on a more subjective basis - once all interviews have been completed, the panel discusses and comes up with a collective decision on the featured designer lineup.
Invitations: Designers who are selected to show with OFW will receive an invitation via email. The invitation includes a link to a liability waiver, image release form and a commitment form . This form must be completed by the specified deadline to secure your spot in the lineup. After the form is completed, designers who drop out will be subject to a $500 drop out fee.
Provisional Acceptance: Occasionally the selection panel sees a tremendous amount of potential in a designer, but felt the designer needs some additional work/help on their concept or craft. Rather than denying these high-potential candidates an invitation to OFW, the panel opts to provisionally accept a designer into the program. This means that a request might be made for supporting information like additional sketches, an edit of the proposed concept, meeting with a mentor from the panel for additional support, or even more photos of past work. If the designer agrees to fulfill these requirements, the designer is formally invited to participate in the shows.
Rack Check
Rack Check is the day the production really comes together. This event takes place about four weeks prior to show time. It includes:
a scoring and live feedback session with the selection panels,
a run-through with hair & makeup,
a photo & video shoot with your signature look on a model,
and a meeting with our AV team to select music, lighting and graphics for your collection.
Designers are required to bring their entire collection to the event for a review by the selection panel. Garments should be 90% complete, meaning they can be closed on a model without the use of clamps or pins.
The work for both emerging and featured designers is scored and immediate feedback is provided immediately following your meeting with the panel.
We strongly encourage designers to be in person for this event. If a designer is unable to be in person, they can appoint a local representative and ship their collection in to OFW for the day. Designers will be responsible for shipping fees both ways in this case.
Scores from Rack Check are used to determine the show lineup. The highest scoring designers will be put in the opening and closing positions of the show.
showtime
Collections are scored a final time during shows. All things are taken into consideration at this point - the clothes, the music, the graphics, the designer’s professional presence.
Two prize packages are offered (detailed below - one for emerging and one for featured), and the winners are announced the week following shows.
OFW announces the winners after the shows because it allows all designers to bask in the glow of their accomplishment. We find this protects the supportive culture we have spent 15 years developing and creates a more positive experience for all involved.
scoring rubric
OFW is looking for potential, as quite a bit of mentoring can take place between interviews and show time. Designers are instructed to bring samples of past work for inspection by the panel, along with at least one visual aid to help the panel understand the vision for each collection. This visual aid could be a mood board, sketches and fabric swatches, a power point presentation, etc. Panelists will be given designer applications in advance of the interview so they can familiarize themselves with the designers’ plans.
Panelists score every phase of competition on a 1-10 scale with whole numbers only during the interview (emerging designers only), rack check and at shows. Scoring Guide:
Below Average 1 – 3
Average 4 – 6
Above Average 7 – 9
Perfect 10
Emerging Designer Interviews:
The Omaha Fashion Week Interview judging criteria and weighted score values are:
25% Are the designs innovative?
25% Rate the construction quality.
25% Is the concept thought out and well-planned, making it something worth investing in?
25% Did the designer represent themselves and their brand well? (Were they on time, honest and respectful?)
There will be a comments section at the bottom of the score form and these comments will lightly edited for flow before being passed on to designers.
featured designer interviews:
Evaluations for featured designers are much more subjective, and no scoring rubric is provided. OFW expects featured designers to be at the “what’s next?” stage. They have a few runway shows under their belts and are looking to move into more commercial opportunities or push themselves further artistically. These designers should have well-thought-out, polished presentations delivered with a high degree of professionalism. Good construction with an eye towards both marketability and theatricality are a must. Once all interviews are complete, the panel will discuss and collectively determine the line up of featured designers.
Rack Check
During Rack Check, we are looking for a balance between theatrics (what will look great on the runway) and quality of construction. Designers are instructed to bring their completed collection to rack check. A garment is considered completed when it can be closed on a model without the aid of clamps or pins. An incomplete collection at Rack Check will have an adverse effect on a designer’s score that will impact their placement within the lineups during OFW. Top scoring designers at Rack Check get prime positions as openers and closers for their showcase. The OFW Rack Check judging criteria and weighted score values for both emerging and featured designers are:
30% Does the collection feel fresh and new?
20% Will the collection show well on the runway? Is it visually interesting?
20% What is the overall construction quality like?
10% Are the designs marketable to a specific audience? (Is there a specific person you could see wearing these garments?)
10% Is the concept thought out and well-planned, making it something worth investing in?
10% Did the designer represent themselves well? (Were they on time, honest and respectful?)
Golden Sheers award scoring:
Two prize packages will be given the week after shows to the top scoring designers in the emerging and featured categories. They are scored on the night of their show by their respective selection panel. The criteria and weighted score values for both groups are:
50% Design innovation: Is it fresh and new?
50% Overall presentation: Construction, styling, music, lighting, graphics, designer’s professional presence.
In the case of a tie, a new ballot will be circulated to the panel with the names of the tied designers. Panelists will select the winner from the tied designers by selecting the name of the designer they think should win based on Design Innovation and Overall Presentation, as stated above.
golden sheers prize packages:
Emerging Designer Package includes:
$500 Cash Prize
Golden Gingher Shears
$250 Joann Fabric Gift Card
$100 Dick Blick Gift Card
Headlining Designer Slot in Future Season
10 VIP Tickets to their Headlining Showcase
OFW Pop-Up Shop Market Space
Professional Runway Photos of their Winning Collection by Heather and Jameson
Featured Designer Package includes:
$1,000 Cash Prize
Golden Gingher Shears
$500 Joann Fabric Gift Card
$250 Dick Blick Gift Card
Creative Design of Limited Edition OFW T-Shirt
Headlining Designer Slot in Future Season
10 VIP Tickets to their Headlining Showcase
OFW Pop-Up Shop Market Space
Professional Runway Photos of their Winning Collection by Heather and Jameson
Selection Panelist Criteria:
OFW is looking for a diverse group of panelists who have extensive experience in the fashion industry and bring a unique perspective to our designers. As both judge and mentor, panelists must be able to spot potential designers and provide constructive feedback during all phases of the selection process. Often, designers come out of their interactions with the panel having an even stronger, clearer understanding of what they want to create on the runway – this is a collaborative process. Here are the requirements to be an OFW selection panelist:
Must have applicable fashion, art or business experience.
Must attend a judges’ orientation prior to interviews each season.
Must commit to attend ALL interviews, the designer rack check in its entirety and all nights of OFW Designer Showcases. OFW will provide a set of complimentary tickets for panelists & guests to attend the shows.
Must commit to the role of panelist during OFW shows; sit in designated area for OFW panelists during shows; and follow the Selection Panel Code of Conduct.
Panelists are invited at the discretion of OFW producers and serve for an entire season of OFW, Oct-Mar or April-Aug.
selection panel code of conduct:
Electronic devices must be turned off during all phases of selection process.
Be mindful that audience members watch the panel’s reactions. You either applaud all collections or none at all. Do not talk or laugh while designers’ collections are being shown on the runway.
Conversations among panelists should be extremely limited, as you are in full view of the audience.
Observe all designers/pitches/collections and mark your score sheet directly after each one finishes.
Give the last designer the same attention and consideration as the first designer.
Do not score easier or harder as the selection process progresses.
If you make a change or erasure on your score sheet, you must initial it before handing it in.
Do not share your scoring with anyone or compare scores.
Panelists and all associated with the selection process cannot discuss the designers’ evaluations outside of official selection panel events – interviews, rack check and shows.
Do not discuss anything that transpired during the selection process with anyone during or after the OFW has ended.
Panelists must conduct themselves in a professional and appropriate manner at all times.
selection panel eligibility
Individuals who are related to designers through blood relation, by marriage, through business contacts (including with designers’ families), or social contacts (including with designers’ families) may not judge that/those designer(s).
Parents and other relatives of a designer may not judge.
Judges who are related by blood or marriage, romantically involved, business associates, or roommates may not serve on the same judging panel. The reason is that we cannot give the impression that two judges may collude on the panel because of their close relationship.