Revisiting Omaha Fashion Week’s student night | Culture
Omaha Fashion Week’s Spring 2025 theme was “OUTRЀ,” which occurred from Feb. 26 to March 2 at the Omaha Design Center. The first night of the four-day runway event was Student Night, in which University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Textiles, Merchandising, Fashion and Design students showcased their designs on the runway.
Thirty-four UNL students and alum showcased their garments on the runway on Feb. 26 for Student Night.
For some students, it was their very first time submitting their designs to the show while others returned to the runway.
Backstage before the show began, student designers worked on final touches of their designs and getting their models ready to walk. Models got their hair and makeup done while also getting put into their designs.
Mia Vander Zwaag, a junior TMFD major, said there was a lot of “hustle and bustle” behind the scenes.
“It was super chaotic, but in a really interesting way,” Vander Zwaag said.
Kasique Nowling, a junior TMFD major, said lots of steaming and last minute hand sewing occurred backstage before the show.
Each category was separated into different dressing areas where students were preparing their designs.
This spring was Nowling and Vander Zwaag’s first Omaha Fashion Week show. Nowling said she submitted three projects focused on sustainability from her coursework in apparel design.
All of Nowling’s designs were featured in the “avant-garde” category. Vander Zwaag also submitted one design for the “avant-garde” category.
Vander Zwaag said she submitted a design made in her color studio course using alternative materials. Nowling and Vander Zwaag were partners in creating the design.
Nowling said she met with her models and did fittings for her pieces after submitting her designs to the Omaha Fashion Week jury. She thrifted pieces of jewelry, purses and shoes for her designs to stay in the realm of sustainability.
Nowling said a recent trip to New York for a bridal store she works at and by the 50s and 60s eras inspired her for her designs. Her designs featured the use of coffee filters, pajamas and reused dresses. She also crafted a choker for one of her models to wear with the garment.
Nowling said she was excited after finding out her designs were accepted. This opportunity would be her first fashion show.
“It didn’t feel very high stakes at all. Just felt like a stepping stone for the future to kind of get my foot in the water,” Nowling said.
Vander Zwaag said she was nervous leading up to Student Night.
“It’s very vulnerable to have something you’ve spent so much time on and something you’ve made open on a stage for everybody to see and react to,” Vander Zwaag said.
Nowling described seeing her designs on the runway as “surreal.”
“Getting to see them on a body with garments fitted with hair and makeup with the right shoes was just kind of surreal,” Nowling said.
Vander Zwaag said seeing her designs on the runway while backstage was the most memorable part of the evening.
“Standing behind the stage and seeing our model on the runway through the camera in the back and just being able to see something that you created with your own hands in such a professional setting really solidifies how excited I am to be in the fashion industry,” Vander Zwaag said.
Nowling said support from her friends and family made the evening a night of celebration.
“In the future, hopefully next year, if my garments get submitted, I would definitely continue bringing my family and friends, just because they absolutely loved it, which I loved,” Nowling said.
Nowling said in the future she wants to submit a collection of garments rather than separate pieces.
“Right after Omaha Fashion Week, I was kind of just planning out what I wanted to do already for next year,” Nowling said. “I was proud of my work this year, but I definitely want to go out with a bang my senior year.”
UNL TMFD students enjoyed the overall experience of Omaha Fashion Week and are looking forward to the next fashion runway event.
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