By Andrew Smith
OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha Fashion Week’s spring festivities officially ended Sunday, but organizers hope they’ve promoted year-round relationships between local designers and the community.
It was the outré season — defined by Merriam-Webster as “violating convention or propriety.” The theme honored the bold, and sometimes bizarre, outfits that models often strut down the runway inside the Omaha Design Center.
The event turns 17-years-old this fall. It’s matured into a recognizable format, but Brianna Anderson, OFW’s marketing director, says event producers went all in on upcycling old materials into eccentric décor.
“We wanted to bring something unexpected to the table,” Anderson said. “We wanted to present the unexpected to Omaha.”
Seven miles of VHS tape became curtains, dyed hair decorated a wall and recycled paper items were strewn about.
Brett Foster, OFW’s environmental designer, said lots of preparation goes into building a consistent ambiance in-person, online and in their magazine. Outré marketing materials carried the same aesthetic.
“We wanted to use a lot of things that might be destined for the landfill and create something compelling and engaging and interactive,” Foster said. “Just all these disparate items sort of coming together in a bright color palette to get everybody excited about what’s happening.”
The four nights of fashion were emceed by Maria Corpuz, who runs a local merchandise production company and contributes to a radio show on KIOS.
Each night had its own distinct theme, but Anderson said the second season of their Develop Kids runway and the return of student designer night on Wednesday were a few of many highlights from the week.
The latter is part of their “fashion for good” mission to give opportunities to young designers.
“I think spring 2025 is my seventh fashion week,” said Peyton Holubeck, a guest at the show. “I do love coming to Omaha Fashion Week, getting involved with all the local designers, the local businesses, but also supporting a local business in and of itself that is Omaha fashion. This is run by local creatives and people that care about the community.”
The Omaha News visited during Saturday’s “Enigma” showcase, headlined by TRBROWN, Remlo Studios and Michael Drummond. Nine other emerging and featured designers filled out the two-hour-long season finale.
A model wearing an outfit by designer Alexander Napier walks the runway during Omaha Fashion Week’s Saturday night showcase on March 1, 2025.
The week ended with a shopping opportunity on Sunday afternoon that’s been part of the event for several seasons.
Anderson said Shop the Runway allows people to purchase designer outfits or simply see them up close. It’s one of the ways Omaha Fashion Week tries to direct money and attention towards designers like Halie Christofferson, who showed her collection on Thursday and was featured in our coverage last week.
Shop the Runway was hosted by ShowHaus, a new Omaha-based platform for budding designers to market and sell their pieces. Co-Founder Sami Hartong told The Omaha News that ShowHaus’ job has been to connect customers and OFW guests to those designers.
Some of their work is available now for viewing or purchase through shopshowhaus.com.
“The greatest part of the whole experience for me is being able to work with all these young college kids … helping them see how they’re going to bring some of their ideas to light and make them accessible and marketable,” Foster said. “Let the freak flag fly.”
