Omaha Fashion Week Student Showcase
Monday, March 9, 2020 to Friday, April 3, 2020
! Due to ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the Gallery is closed until further notice.
A Night on the Runway: Looks from the UNL Student Showcase
March 9-April 3
By Bethany Kraft, MA student in TMFD
From Runway to Gallery…The Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design department of the University of Nebraska—Lincoln is putting up an exhibit in its Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery featuring student designs from the UNL Student Showcase at Omaha Fashion Week. The Exhibit will run from March 9th- April 3rd.
Looks from twenty of our student designers including the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the 2020 Mary Mitchell Design Award are being featured in an effort to bring the feeling of the runway back to campus. The exhibit contains 29 unique looks from TMFD Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students. For some, it was their first time on the runway, while for others it was their second or third time seeing their designs come to life on the runway.
The stakes of presenting their designs to the larger public motivates TMFD students to always do their best work. Senior Mercedes Alvarez says of the experience, “Every year I work diligently to create designs that I think exemplify my brand while also pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which is something I don’t think I would’ve done had it not been for the opportunity to walk in the show.”
By bringing the Runway to the Gallery, Graduate Students Bethany Kraft and Heather Striebel are getting the chance to hone their curatorial skills. Like the student designers, they have been working tirelessly to make their curatorial vision come to life while drawing inspiration from the featured student works. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to see the craft and fine details of the garments up close.
Overall, the collaboration between Omaha Fashion Week and the TMFD department has proven to be a fruitful experience for the students. “OFW gives me an opportunity to learn how to present my work, connect with more people outside the program, and enhances my relationships with professors and other students. I feel that being able to participate is an integral part of the TMFD program,” explains Alex Scarpello, Sophomore.
- Mary Mitchell Design Award 2020 Winning Garment 1st Place: Son Nguyen
- Mary Mitchell Design Award 2020 Winning Garment 2nd Place: Audrey Foster
- Mary Mitchell Design Award 2020 Winning Garment 3rd Place: Heather Striebel
Garments on Exhibit:
Mercedes Alvarez, Senior, of Omaha, NE
Parhidi Bisht of Delhi, India
Paris Brooks, Junior, of Ogallala, NE
Audrey Foster, Senior, of Broken Bow, NE
Erin Kelly, Junior, of Omaha, NE
Anna Kuhlman, Graduate Student, of Andover, KS
Elle Lesiak, Senior, of Fullerton, NE
Jennifer Lopez, Sophomore, of Schuyler, NE
Son Nguyen, Senior, of Lincoln, NE
Emily Pillard, Junior, of Lincoln, NE
Hailey Ringenburg, Senior, of Eutis, NE
Adria Sanchez-Chaidez, Graduate Student, of San Diego, CA
Alex Scarpello, Sophomore, of Omaha, NE
Kelsey Sextro, Senior, of Butte, NE
Erin Smith, Junior, of Lincoln, NE
Heather Striebel, Graduate Student, of Goodyear, AZ
Joelle Tangen, Junior, of Lincoln, NE
Adriana Vang, Junior, of Omaha, NE
Rachel Wyatt, Sophomore, of Fayetteville, AR
Aya Zacharias Junior, of Omaha NE
Son Nguyen’s garment titled Canamortis received the first place Mary Mitchell Award at the UNL Student Showcase at Omaha Fashion Week. Son’s design process explored pleating as a way to create volume and was completed in Apparel Design by Draping.
