More than 30 students and alumni from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design will showcase their designs at the Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2024: Audacious Season, Feb. 21-24 at the Omaha Design Center.
“Omaha Fashion Week is a highly professional industry experience that highlights the diversity of apparel designs created in our programs,” Sandra Starkey, associate professor, said. “Working with students as they develop skills necessary for their future careers is highly rewarding. Increasingly, students incorporate inclusive and sustainable apparel design methods that will eventually impact the people and the world around them.”
The UNL Student Night Showcase kicks off on Feb. 21, featuring high school students from across the state, along with 31 Husker students and alumni. This marks the fifth year the university has presented a student designer night in the spring season of OFW, dating to 2019 (except for 2020 due to COVID). Top student designs are awarded various prizes to help them advance their design careers.
“Omaha Fashion Week is an incredible platform for emerging designers, like myself, to showcase our garments for the community to see,” said Delano Lockhart, a junior textile and apparel design major from Omaha, who is participating for his first time in 2024. “I am excited to see the garment I have spent so much time making in the classroom brought to life through a large-scale production. I can’t wait to be surrounded by other talented designers and contribute to this great event.”
Jaxon Gilner, a junior textile and apparel design major from Olathe, Kansas, echoed Lockhart’s enthusiasm as she prepares for her second year at Omaha Fashion Week.
“Omaha Fashion Week is an event I look forward to every year because I am able to get a taste of the fashion industry,” she said. “It is so fulfilling to be able to create my own design, bring it to life, and then get to see it go down the runway. I love the environment both onstage and backstage during the show, everyone is supportive and encouraging. There is a clear, strong community present that I can connect with and form strong relationships with.”
Omaha Fashion Week continues through Feb. 24 with lineups of emerging designers showcasing in the first half of every show. Emerging designers are either brand new to the OFW runway, student designers, or veteran designers trying out a completely new method of creation. Each show closes with a lineup of collections by the featured designers and a headliner.
Two more alumni, Gretter Rodriguez Mejias (Gretter RM) and Olivia Fiore (Floria), and a current TMFD student, Kyle Yehle (K.E.Y. Designs), will be among the emerging designers during each of the final three nights. Additionally, Kylin Flothe, assistant professor of practice, will serve as an OFW judging panelist for her third season.
“I love to see the growth in our UNL students from student night to Emerging Designers to Featured Designers; it makes me so proud,” Flothe said. “We are really grateful to OFW student night, which provides an exciting, public venue for our students to display their work.”
Maria de Guzman, chairperson for the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, also noted the valuable experience Husker students gain through their participation in Omaha Fashion Week.
“OFW is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the leading-edge and creative work of our very talented students,” she said.
Showcases begin at 6 p.m. each night of Omaha Fashion Week. A complete schedule and ticket information is available online.
TMFD students and alumni showcasing designs in Omaha Fashion Week include (with label names in parentheses where applicable):
Feb. 21 – UNL Student Night
Kris Aisaierding, Halah Alsufyani, Dylan J Bockman, Nora Chisamore, Haile Christofferson (Haile’s House), Dorsa Farzi, Jaxon Gilner, Aylana Goodwin, Inas Hskan, Delani Ingram, Mee-Mee Jackson (T.E.M.), Venn Jemkur, Emily Jordan, Faiza Kari (Faiza), Ellie Latcham, Michaela Lentsch, Delano Lockhart, Alyssa Neff, Kate Pedroza Valadez (KPV), Amber Penton, Alexa Perkey, Cutter Riceland, Said Rodriguez Zarazua (SRZ); Mia Schwarz; Tina Shetabi, Ray Soper (RayBaby Designs), Burke Splichal, Joelle Tangen (La Jolie Joelle), PawEh ThaYou; Kelly Thompson (K THOMPSON), and Sarah Twitchell.
Feb. 22 – Bold Designer Showcase
Gretter Rodriguez Mejias (Gretter RM), as emerging designer
Feb. 23 – Brazen Designer Showcase
Olivia Fiore (Floria), as emerging designer
Feb. 24 – Brilliant Designer Showcase
Kyle Yehle (K.E.Y. Designs) as emerging designer
